NBA NEWS - NBA TV CELEBRATES 50th ANNIVERSARY OF NBA’s GREATEST FEAT WITH WILT 100

Bill Russell seen here defending Wilt Chamberlain Narrates the Story of the Night Wilt Chamberlain Hit the Century Mark - Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper photo by Ed Palumbo

Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point scoring night on March 2, 1962 – NBA TV will retell the story of this mythical feat and the larger than life man who accomplished it

NEW YORK, NEW YORK USA

Thursday March 01, 2012

BELIEVE IT OR NOT WILT CHAMBERLAIN SCORED 100 POINTS IN AN NBA GAME

On the 50th anniversary of arguably the greatest individual performance in sports history – Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point scoring night on March 2, 1962 – NBA TV will retell the story of this mythical feat and the larger than life man who accomplished it. Wilt 100, an NBA TV original film narrated by Chamberlain’s chief rival and good friend, Hall of Famer Bill Russell, premieres on Friday, March 2, at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Utilizing rarely-seen interviews with Chamberlain, the hour-long documentary, which can only be seen exclusively on NBA TV, will take viewers back to the night in Hershey, Pa., that will live forever in history, when The Big Dipper led his Philadelphia Warriors in a 169-147 victory over the New York Knicks. With no existing footage from the game and only about 4,000 witnesses to the event, NBA TV has woven Chamberlain’s own recollections, fresh interviews with Hershey natives in attendance that night and stories from Warriors employees and Chamberlain’s NBA contemporaries to bring the performance back to life.

To help further paint the picture of this legendary performance, NBA TV adds depth to many of the long-told tales of the night – ranging from non-fiction to fable and everything in between. Subjects include the four-time NBA MVP’s can’t-miss pre-game performance at the rifle arcade at Hershey Arena and as lore has it, his ride back home to New York City in the backseat of a car driven by members of the Knicks team he just defeated.

The documentary also gives viewers a new appreciation for something that is decided fact: Chamberlain’s incredible 1962 season - in which he averaged an astounding 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds - and Wilt’s role in revolutionizing the NBA game.

Wilt 100 also deals with the following topics:

• The Iconic “100” Photo: Legendary Philadelphia statistician Harvey Pollack, the only person who has worked in the NBA since its inaugural 1946-47 season, returns to Hershey to give a first-hand account of his role in the famous photograph portraying Chamberlain and his triple-digit accomplishment.

• The Game Ball: Adding even more mystery to this mythical night are the competing versions of what exactly happened to the ball used by Chamberlain to set the record. Lifelong Hershey resident Kerry Ryman and the Warriors’ Harvey Pollack each tell their divergent tales.

• Big Wilt’s Small’s Paradise: New York basketball legends Satch Sanders, Cal Ramsey and Carl Green pay a visit to Harlem, where Chamberlain actually lived during his playing days with the Warriors. They reflect on his long commute to work and his life off the court, as part owner of one of city’s most popular night clubs, “Big Wilt’s Small’s Paradise,” whose patrons included Sammy Davis, Jr., Redd Foxx and Ray Charles.

• Arnold: Viewers will also get a sense of Chamberlain’s mythical status beyond the famous 1962 season. Former Warriors teammate Al Attles tells the story of Wilt and former bodybuilding champion Arnold Schwarzenegger lifting weights together during the filming of Conan The Destroyer, resulting in – as legend has it - Schwarzenegger avoiding future workout sessions with the NBA giant.

Players in action that night from both the Warriors and the Knicks also provide their own unique perspective to this historic performance, including Hall of Famer Paul Arizin, Tom Meschery, and Joe Ruklick of Philadelphia, as well as Knicks legend Richie Guerin.