SUMMARY
- NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain died when he was 63 years old.
- Wilt died due to congestive heart failure and dealt with medical issues throughout his life.
Although it has been several years since Wilt Chamberlain stepped foot on a basketball court, he is still widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA. While NBA players tend to live a somewhat long life due to their good health and level of fitness, Chamberlain passed away at just 63 years of age.
Despite the fact that it has been several years since the NBA legend passed away, the details surrounding his death have not been made very clear to the public. That said, a closer look at the context of these events is certainly required.
Wilt Chamberlain died due to congestive heart failure
While Wilt Chamberlain established his legacy as one of the most dominant players in the history of the game, it would surprise some fans to hear that the former NBA star passed away when he was 63 years old. According to the reports, Chamberlain died due to congestive heart failure On October 12, 1999. Chamberlain’s longtime friend and attorney made an emotional statement after the NBA legend died.
“He was more inquisitive than anybody I ever knew. He was writing a screenplay about his life. He was interested in world affairs, sometimes he’d call me up late at night and discuss philosophy. I think he’ll be remembered as a great man. He happened to make a living playing basketball, but he was more than that…. He could talk on any subject. He was a Goliath.”
Despite the fact that Wilt Chamberlain appeared to be a goliath when on the court and an intellectual person off the court, he was dealing with medical issues that NBA fans might have never found out about. Therefore. one might want to know more about the health complications that the NBA legend was dealing with before he died.
Wilt’s history of medical issues
Even before entering the NBA, Wilt was considered a sickly child and dealt with Pneumonia. This sickness almost caused him to die and led to him missing a full year of schooling. However, his impressive height and basketball abilities likely played a role in him shrugging off his medical problems and pursuing a career as a professional basketball player.
All of these health problems accumulated and eventually led to the end of his life in 1999. Although Chamberlain might not have been in the best of health throughout his life, none of his NBA contemporaries would have noticed the same given the dominance and impact he had on the sport of basketball.