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Robert Cherry

Wilt: Larger Than Life Hardcover – September 1, 2004

by Robert Cherry (Author), Jerry West (Foreword)

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A capturing of basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain's personality and thoughts—known by relatively few people other than family and close friends—is made available to all in this intimate biography. The author, a native of Philadelphia and an alumnus of Chamberlain's alma mater, spent four years researching and interviewing the most important people in Wilt's life to produce these results.

Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Triumph Books
Publication date

September 1, 2004
Dimensions

6 x 1.4 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1572436727
ISBN-13

978-1572436725
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Editorial Reviews

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Long before Kobe, or Shaq, or MJ, or Magic, or Bird, or Kareem, there was Wilt--arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. For instance, in his third NBA season alone (1961-62), Wilt Chamberlain had per-game averages of 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds, and he played all but nine minutes of his team's 80 games. Wilt would hold more than 80 records by the end of his career and would prompt the NBA to make several rule changes--creating the goal-tending call, for one. Despite these accomplishments, Wilt was always regarded as the "loser" and his Boston Celtic archrival, Bill Russell, as the "winner." Author Cherry addresses this misconception--Wilt's teams were always vastly weaker than Russell's--and also gives enough, but not too much, attention to Chamberlain's ill-considered, though possibly accurate, boast that he'd slept with some 20,000 women. A solid biography for any sports collection. Alan Moores
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Inside Flap

There are celebrities and so-called legends. And then there is Wilton Norman Chamberlain, unique and unforgettable, and one of the 20th centurys greatest and most controversial athletes.

Wilt: Larger than Life examines Chamberlains fascinating story, delving into his life both on and off the basketball court, and spanning his childhood to his death in 1999. The author spent four years crisscrossing the country researching Wilts life and gathering stories from the most important people in it. The result is the most thorough and entertaining book ever written about this American icon, a worthy addition to the annals of sports biographies.

Among those interviewed were Wilts longtime lawyer, doctor, and accountant; many of Wilts other male and female friends and associates; and his basketball teammates, coaches, and opponents at every level of his momentous career. This is a portrait of Wilt that relatively few people, except family and friends, have ever seen. Wilt covers Chamberlains stupendous athletic achievements, including the memorable basketball battles with Bill Russell, Willis Reed, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but equally compelling is the portrayal of the private Wilt and his unique lifestyle. Included in this in-depth look at the man and his life are a "tour" through his amazing home; vignettes of the beach volleyball life to which he was attracted; the sports teams he sponsored; the notorious claim of making love to twenty thousand women and the related issue of why he never married; his days (and nights) after his retirement from basketball; and his sad final weeks. Here, finally, is a biography that does justice to the myth and the man that was Wilt.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Triumph Books; 1st edition (September 1, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1572436727
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1572436725
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.4 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #794,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #512 in Basketball Biographies (Books)
- #545 in Mid Atlantic US Travel Books
- #4,133 in Traveler & Explorer Biographies

Customer Reviews:
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Robert Cherry

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Robert Cherry has been a teacher, journalist, businessman and author. His first book, "Wilt: Larger Than Life," is considered the definitive biography of the American sports legend, Wilt Chamberlain. His second book, "Cherry Delight," is a memoir of his parents and while neither of them ever led the NBA in rebounding or scoring, as did Wilt Chamberlain, they are still worth reading about, even celebrating. He thinks that his latest book, "Living Liberia," is the best thing he's written and of course hopes that readers will discover and enjoy it. Robert Cherry has been a general assignment reporter or editor at four newspapers, including "The Arizona Republic," and his freelance work has appeared in "The New York Times" and "The Jerusalem Post," among other publications. A native Philadelphian—with the accent to prove it—he lives in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania and Pompano Beach, Florida. robertcherry2@aol.com. www.robertcherry.org

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2 star		1%
1 star		3%

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Remembering Wilt The Stilt Chamberlain.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 7, 2004

Verified Purchase

When Wilt Chamberlain passed away in Oct of 1999, it came as a shock to many that the 63 year old basketball legend died so young. Robert Cherry has written a wonderful biography and the first since wilt's passing that details his difficult final few years of struggles with many health related problems, that eventually led to his untimely death. Thirty years after he retired from basketball, Wilt still owns more NBA records then any player in history. Bill Russell may have won all those championships, but not even Russell was a match for Wilt statisically. Chamberlain almost always outscored and out rebounded Russell in every encounter. Russell no doubt almost always had the better teams. Abdul Jabbar played 20 seasons to Wilts 13, and yet Chamberlain has several thousand more lifetime rebounds. In the twilight of his career, a 35 year old Wilt led the Lakers to victory over the Bucks and a 25 year old Jabbar during the 1972 playoffs. Even more astounding, was wilt blocked 20 shots in two consecutive games in that series, and 11 of those blocked shots were on Kareem. Who the heck ever did that to Jabbar. Makes you wonder what Wilt would have done in his prime. As great as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson were, none of them had the impact or dominance of Wilt Chamberlain. The rules of the game were altered upon Wilts arrival into the league. Modern day fans talk of Shaq being the greatest center of all-time. Does anyone out there think Shaq could have blocked 11 Kareem shots in two games? Shaq wouldn't have been able to leap high enough to block a skyhook. That statistic alone, should be enough to convince anyone of Wilts athleticism. The book documents his all phases of his life, but none is more eye opening then the author's recounting of Wilts final years. Wilt developed a weak heart causing a condition called congestive heart failure. Along with High blood pressure, Diabetes and a debilitating hip condition, It was tough for Wilt who was always in top condition, to accept the fact that was becoming immobile and sickly. Because Wilt was so private, very few people new just how sick he was becoming. Through interviews with his closest friends and family, Cherry paints a vivid picture of this warm gentle giant of the sports world, suffering in the final months of his life. Unfortunately, his pride may have prevented him from correcting some of his aliments that led to his death. It is noted on the book, that Wilt often refused medical attention for his conditions. He needed a pacemaker and and hip replacement, but it seems that he always put it off until it was too late. Maybe that is the way he wanted it. All that put aside, I found this book to be quite an enjoyable read, revealing the strengths and weaknesses of one of the worlds greatest athletes.

35 people found this helpful

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Larry L. Shackle

A very well written book, however….

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 17, 2021

Verified Purchase

The edition I downloaded to my iPad Kindle app only cost $1.99. So that was a really good deal. And it is a very well written book about one of the very greatest athletes that has ever walked this planet. Here is the however. I have read a lot of biographies of public figures. Athletes, show business personalities , politicians and military leaders. I have never seen a biography about somebody who has lived in the 20th century that did not have photos. This book had absolutely zero photos. Another kindle books I have read they can be in the middle of the book like a paper copy. Or sometimes they will put the photos at the very end of the book. In this case there was nothing. Maybe I got a bad download.

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Jim Lester

Bigger, Faster, Stronger

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 5, 2012

Verified Purchase

If ever there was a larger than life sports legend in America it was Wilt Chamberlain. Like a Greek god, he was bigger, faster and stronger than the mere mortals that surrounded him. In this excellent biography, Robert Cherry covers Chamberlain's life in its entirety--from his boyhood in Philadelphia to his death in LA at the early age of 63 and makes every effort to show the real man behind the sports legend. I was particularly impressed with Cherry's treatment of how Chamberlain was recruited to Kansas. As Cherry tells the story there were so many under the table offers by so many colleges that IRS agents finally showed up at Chamberlain's house. The tale tells a lot about the state of college basketball in the 1950s.

Another example of the more human elements of Chamberlain's personality was the brief section on how much he enjoyed just being a college student at KU. He loved hanging out with the guys, playing cards, pulling pranks and participating in intramural activities.

The book also details Chamberlain's basketball career as a Jayhawk, including the dramatic 1957 triple overtime NCAA championship game and includes excellent coverage of the legend's career in the NBA with his clash-of-the-titans battles with Bill Russell. The overall result then is a well researched, well balanced and highly readable biography of a man who was a major force in the shaping of the modern game of basketball.

4 people found this helpful

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Gran biografía de Chamberlain

Reviewed in Spain 🇪🇸 on January 21, 2013

Verified Purchase

Completa biografía de uno de los mejores jugadores de la historia, la faceta profesional se entrelaza con la personal, siendo la primera muy exhaustiva y detallada desde su paso por la universidad de Kansas hasta sus gloriosas temporadas en la NBA.

One person found this helpful

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