Wilt Chamberlain Was Once Compelled to Visit a Psychiatrist to Work on Rare Weakness in His Game

Wilt Chamberlain dominated the NBA in the 60s and 70s. He was a menace on the court when he played for the Philadelphia Warriors and set inhuman records. Wilt recorded the highest individual total of any age at 100 points. This was at the same time he struggled with his free-throw shooting slump. Surprisingly, his free throw shooting action has been dubbed as the ‘Granny shot’ devoid of any follow-through.

Load management was nonexistent in the era Wilt played. It is pretty wild that Chamberlain went to a psychiatrist in the 60s when mental health awareness was not given much importance. His best FT shooting was in 1961-1962, where he shot 61%. Further, in his 100-point game, he managed an insane 28/32 free throw. Chamberlain claims he used to be an 80% free-throw shooter in his collegiate days, but there is not much data to back it.

In an interview with his comrade and competitor Celtic icon, Bill Russell, Wilt talks about taking sessions from a psychiatrist during the regular season. Further, the sessions cost him $50 for each sitting. Chamberlain hilariously spoke about how his slump lasted a few months, but the psychiatrist may have learned to shoot free throws in the meantime.

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During the 1962 basketball season, Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50.36 points per game. Essentially, it is a single-season points record that has never been broken.?

How did Wilt Chamberlain fix his free-throw shooting?

Former Philadelphia and Warriors legend, Chamberlain, credits his increased free-throw shooting to peer pressure and not his psychiatrist.

Wilt Chamberlain said, “I went to a psychiatrist for about a month on my free throw situation. After a month, I gave it up. Somebody else paid for the session, 50 a session. I won’t say it who”

According to Chamberlain, the psychiatrist may have learned how to shoot free throws better than him from the situation.

Chamberlain was peer pressured into changing his form

An article by TheLadders uncovered how Los Angeles Lakers star, Chamberlain, was peer pressured into fixing his form. Chamberlain’s shooting jumped from 40% to 87% once, and he credits it to learning to adapt to the style of his peers.

Wilt said, “I felt silly, like a sissy, shooting underhanded. I know I was wrong. I know some of the best foul shooters in history shot that way. Even now, the best one in the NBA, Rick Barry, shoots underhanded. I just couldn’t do it.”

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Wilt Chamberlain, with an accurate free-throw shooting form, would have broken the NBA. In hindsight, NBA was better off with Wilt taking his jumpers and floaters. Furthermore, with a 90% free-throw shooting, Wilt would have averaged an absurd 70 points a game.?