The legendary center Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia 76ers was transferred to the Los Angeles Lakers on July 9th, 1968.
The 7’1″ center was a formidable force in the league at the time. Being the first of just two players in NBA history to win both MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season, he won the league MVP award four times, the first coming during his rookie campaign. He was named to the NBA All-Star team nine times (7 times on the First Team and twice on the Second Team). From 1960 until 1966, he won seven straight scoring titles, but more significantly, he was an NBA champion at the time, something that no Los Angeles Lakers player could claim.
The Lakers had fallen short of the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals six times before to Chamberlain’s acquisition (1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968). In fact, Chamberlain played on one of just two teams that won an NBA championship during the 13-year Celtics dynasty that lasted from 1957 to 1969, as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1966–67.
Following their acquisition of the superstar center, Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor created the Lakers’ Big 3. They advanced to the NBA Finals four times during Chamberlain’s five years with the team (1968–1973), with the only championship coming in 1972. The three Finals defeats occurred in 1969 against the Boston Celtics and twice to the New York Knicks (1971, 1973). But the one championship-winning team in 1972 was unique and established several team records, some of which have endured to this day.
Chamberlain got the MVP award for the Finals when the Lakers won their first title in Los Angeles in 1972. In 47.2 minutes per game, he averaged 19.4 points, 23.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, helping the Lakers defeat the Knicks 4-1 in the series.
