Summary
After two seasons at the University of Kansas and a year with the Harlem Globetrotters, Wilt Chamberlain entered the NBA with the Philadelphia Warriors.
The 7-foot-1, 275-pound Chamberlain had an even bigger impact than expected. He led the league with 2,707 points and 1,941 rebounds, setting records in both categories. As a result, the Warriors improved from 32-40 to 49-26, which would have won the Western Division by three games.
But the Warriors were in the Eastern Division, where they finished 10 games behind the Boston Celtics, who won a record 59 games. The Celtics eliminated the Warriors in six games in the Eastern Division playoffs.
The championship series was closer than most had expected, but the Celtics beat the St. Louis Hawks in seven games to become the first NBA champion to repeat since the Lakers in 1953-54.
Chamberlain wasn't the league's only record-setter. Bob Cousy of Boston broke his own record with 715 assists and became the first player with more than 5,000 for his career. Dolph Schayes of Syracuse became the first to score more than 15,000 career points. And Elgin Baylor of the Minneapolis scored a record 64 points against Boston on Nov. 8, 1959, breaking Joe Fulks' record of 63.
Jack Twyman's great season went almost unnoticed. The Cincinnati forward averaged 31.2 points a game, but finished a distant second to Chamberlain's 37.6. No other NBA player had ever averaged more than 30 a game.
