To Wilt, the Lakers’ head coach said, “We are doing well enough without you.”
Head coaches and elite Lakers players sparring frequently is a common occurrence. But this dynamic would have a significant impact on the illustrious franchise in 1969. Wilt Chamberlain, who had been injured and replaced, attempted to return to the game in the closing seconds of the renowned “Balloon Game,” but his coach, Butch van Breda Kolff, yelled at him to halt.
The term came from the owner of the Lakers hanging balloons and placing flyers on the seats before the pivotal Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals. These early celebrations infuriated Lakers point guard Jerry West, and they certainly increased the intensity of their opponent, the Boston Celtics, and particularly Bill Russell. But the very productive West was probably even more enraged—and he was not the only one—after what transpired between Hall of Famer Chamberlain and their head coach, VBK.
With just over five minutes remaining, Chamberlain, his teammate, suffered a knee injury. The Lakers were behind seven points. With just two minutes remaining, he took a moment to compose himself before returning to the game. He never did make it back to the floor, though, since his coach rejected him. Chamberlain sat on the bench for the rest of the game, looking grumpy and irritated.
It is difficult to know what the previous head coach was thinking during their conversation. For starters, your internal viewpoint and ideas are definitely distinct from those of any outside observer while you are leading a team.
Some speculated that he might have been angry with his center, who preferred to be replaced rather than play through to the end of such a pivotal game. Whatever his reasons, it is difficult to fathom that anyone thought that having the famous center would increase the likelihood of winning an NBA title more than not having him, particularly an NBA head coach.
Many Lakers supporters still maintain that if VBK had substituted in Chamberlain at the crucial moments, the outcome would have been different and the Lakers would have avoided their worst-ever moment in franchise history. VBK was pushed out of town as a result, and Chamberlain would refer to him as “the worst coach I have ever had” in his memoirs a few years later.
