A Tribute to Wilt Chamberlain
Chamberlain was born in 1936 in Philadelphia and died in 1999 in Los Angeles. He was a graduate of Philadelphia’s Overbrook High School and the University of Kansas, where he became the most dominant basketball player of his era. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors (1959), traded to the Philadelphia 76ers (1965) and hen the Los Angeles Lakers (1968).
Chamberlain’s sister, Barbara Chamberlain Lewis, attended the mural’s dedication and spoke on his behalf, recognizing Chamberlain as a strong role model for neighborhood youth and expressing hope that the mural inspires local residents to pursue their dreams and reach their full potential.
Text in the mural includes a quote from Barbara Chamberlain Lewis that reads:
“What comes to mind the most for me is when we were walking down the aisle at our high school graduation in June, 1955 at Overbrook High School. H was on the left side of the aisle and I was on the right.
“As we reached the door to walk, we gave each other the o.k. sign with our thumbs. Luckily, my name was called first and my family cheered, because when they called Wilt’s name the audience cheered and gave him a standing ovation. I was so proud of him and pretended they were cheering for me as I cried with such tears of joy, realizing that my brother, Dippy, was on his way to becoming a very special and unique person, not only in my eyes, but the whole world.”
The mural was restored in 2016.