Sam Jones vs. Wilt Chamberlain - never piss off Goliath

It happened in 1962 during Game 5 of the Eastern Finals that pitted Bill Russell's Celtics against Wilt Chamberlain's Philadelphia Warriors. Boston took the game, but it was Sam Jones' hard foul on Wilt that really got the crowd's attention. Wilt, all 7'1" of him, was pissed and went after Sam - who promptly snatched the closest weapon available - a photographer's stool.

I interviewed former Celtics great Sam Jones, and the author of his biography, Ten Times a Champion, Mark C. Bodanza, last year. It was fun, informative and a bit tense on one subject. I loved all of it. Sam told me that Chamberlain threatened that he was going to make Jones eat that stool. Russ and Sam's other teammates came to his aid, and things calmed down after that.

Sam was picked up the next day by Wilt and they had dinner together with Wilt's mom. When Wilt's mother asked Sam what he intended to do with that stool, he answered:

"I was going to break your son's legs, ma'm. He was trying to kill me."

"Wilt and I were always good friends. (But for the next game) He told me not to come into the lane."

There are many other gems in Bodanza's bio of Sam Jones. How Red Auerbach used to pick on Tommy Heinsohn and even fined Sam for eating pancakes. I advise any Celtics fan to pick up a copy.

Follow Tom at @CelticsSentinel and @_Celtics_Center

Comments

The Elm Street Nightmare

A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.) Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube Elm Street surfaces on six (6) occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He resided on Elm Street in Townsend, Massachusetts 2.) He kidnapped a woman at gunpoint on Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) That kidnapped woman fled to the Gillogly residence on Elm Street after escaping from the armed fugitive, Laplante. 4.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 5.) He was tried, convicted and sentenced for the murders at Superior Court , corner of Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. 6.) The author, Thomas Lane, lived on Elm Steet, Pepperell, Massachusetts while a police Sgt./Lt. for the t...

A sorrowful farewell to Kitty's Restaurant (North Reading, MA) as a family tradition

Time to say "Goodbye" to Kitty's Restaurant - my family's destination and tradition for six generations and more than 80 years. My memories of Kitty's go back to the early-1950's . I would accompany my dad and grandfather on fishing trips to the Ipswich River in North Reading, Massachusetts - followed by a visit to the restaurant on Main Street. In later years, my wife, Linda, and I would eat there with our two kids, Marc and Lisa - and years later - with our two grand daughters - and still later - with our great grandson, Carson. Author and family at Kitty's approx. 10 years ago Kitty's never disappointed. The drinks were big and well-made . The food was terrific - as were the portions. The service was exceptional and we became well-acquainted with the waiters and waitresses. It all worked so very well for many decades. My grand daughter, Courtney , was particularly fond of the restaurant. She was born with cystic fibrosis , and during her fr...

Wemby versus Kareem as rookies

We already know that the Spurs Victor Wembanyama is going to be an NBA phenomenon, but will he surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by the end of his career. It is highly likely. I did a "per-36-minutes" comparison between the two stars, mainly because Kareem logged 43.1 MPG in his rookie campaign - while Wemby has been held to only 29.4 MPG. Kareem: 24.1 PPG - 12.1 RPG - 3.4 APG - .518 FG - .653 FT Wemby: 25.9 PPG - 12.9 RPG - 4.5 APG - .463 FG - .796 FT No blocks, steals or 3-pointers were looked at since they were not tracked in Jabbar's first year in the NBA. It should also be noted that Kareem was 22 years old at the time, while Victor started at age 20. Two factors favoring Wembanyama ultimately surpassing Jabbar on any "Best-of-All-Time" charts are his point guard skills , shared by so many European players. and the fact he is being mentored by Gregg Popovich. His potential seems astounding. But the question remains. Can he garner six Titles and six MVP ...

Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

Search This Blog