Remember That Time Wilt Chamberlain Was Scheduled To Fight Muhammad Ali?

Zachary Draves | Jul 21, 2024

Unknown date; New York, NY, USA; FILE PHOTO; Los Angeles Lakers center Wilt Chamberlain (13) in action against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports / Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports

Wilt Chamberlain was arguably the most dominant NBA player of his time.

He was a physical specimen unlike any other. He once dropped 100 points in a single game and is the only player to average 50 points in a season.

He was also a bit of a showman who thought he could use his size to his advantage, sometimes not always for the best reasons.

In 1971, Chamberlain was 34 years old and nearing the end of his NBA career. To keep himself in the spotlight, he needed a gimmick.

He decided to fight heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali.

An exhibition was scheduled for Oct. 4 at the Houston Astrodome. It was marketed as "The Greatest vs The Biggest".

The publicity for the fight went into overdrive before the scheduled date.

In 1967, Chamberlain joined Ali on ABC's Wide World Of Sports to promote the possibility of the fight.

Both men were measured by Ali's trainer Angelo Dundee. Chamberlain had a 90 inch-reach comapred to Ali with 78.

However, Ali won the battle of the boastful. As legendary host Howard Cosell looked on, Ali taunted Chamberlain.

"Reach doesn't mean nothing if he doesn't find no one to hit," Ali said.

He then concluded by saying to Chamberlain "cut off that beard because I'm not fighting the Billy Goat.". To which Chamberlain replied "I want to give you a target."

Ultimately, the fight never happened after Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke signed Chamberlain to a lucrative contract.

What could have been?

Zachary Draves is a contributor to Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at zdraves1013@gmail.com and on Instagram @zdraves0633.