“Wilt Chamberlain made $65,000 before playing a second of NBA basketball”: Warriors legend had the richest contract in basketball history as a Harlem Globetrotter
Andrew Mckinney Wilt Chamberlain earned himself a whopping $65,000 contract with the Harlem Globetrotters before stepping foot on an NBA court.
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Wilt Chamberlain holds a bit too many records in the NBA. His individual statistics are off the charts, as everybody knows, as he’s done everything from average the most points in a single season to grab the most rebounds in a single game and everything in between.
It was quite obvious that Wilt would excel when taking to NBA hardwood. So much so that NBA teams were fighting over who gets to draft him while he was still in high school. The concept of territorial picks was still present in the NBA and the Philadelphia Warriors used their pick to reserve Chamberlain for themselves.
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Territorial picks were meant only for college athletes but with some persuasion from Edward Gottlieb, a firm believer in Wilt’s abilities, the Warriors were able to snag him in 1959.
However, Wilt Chamberlain still needed to finish college before making it to the pros. Prior to the commencement of his final year, Wilt gave up his eligibility at Kansas due to irritating defensive schemes specifically made to stop him.
He would turn his attention towards the showmanship of basketball and become a Harlem Globetrotter.
Wilt Chamberlain signed a $65,000 contract with the Harlem Globetrotters.
Between 1958 and 1959, Wilt Chamberlain was in no-mans land. He left Kansas but due to the nature of the territorial pick, had to wait a year before the Warriors could officially select him and have him star on their roster. Well, he would’ve been in no-mans land if it weren’t for the Harlem Globetrotters.
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During this gap year of sorts, ‘Wilt the Stilt’ would sign a contract for a year with the Globetrotters that was worth a whopping $65,000. This would have Wilt be in possession of the wealthiest basketball contract in existence at the time, without ever having stepped foot on NBA hardwood.
Of course, as that year came to an end, the Warriors ended up exercising their territorial pick on Wilt Chamberlain and the rest is history. Wilt would go on to tour with the Globetrotters while in the league as well in between seasons, whenever he found time.
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