1961 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain #8 PSA NM 7. ...

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1961 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain #8 PSA NM 7. This is the sole recognized rookie card of the greatest offensive force in basketball history, and some contend, the greatest player ever. Wilt Chamberlain broke into the NBA with his hometown team, the Philadelphia Warriors. The center averaged 37 points a game in his first NBA season, and 38 a game in his second year, so the year this 1961 Fleer card was released, people wondered, "Could Wilt score even more? Could he maybe average a never before heard of 40 points a game?" Well, Wilt did not average 40 points a game in the 1961-62 season. He averaged 50.4.

At 7'1", Wilt lived life, on-and-off the court, by the motto, "If you can't go big, go home." Wilt seldom went home, and he always went big. Big as in leading the NBA: seven times in scoring,11 times in rebounding, nine times in field goal percentage and one time, after being criticized for not passing enough, The Big Dipper decided to lead the league in assists - and he did. Big, as in MVP Awards, with four. Even big in driving - not the foul lane, but his car. He recounted driving cross country, none-stop, in 24 hours. That's big - and really fast. And one night, in the season when this card came out, he went very, very big, scoring an all-time record 100 points in a game against the Knicks. The one area he failed to go really big was in NBA Championships, with two, the Philadelphia 76ers in '67 and the Los Angeles Lakers in '72. This 1961 Fleer set was the company's only major basketball issue until 1986-87. Cards measure 2-1/2" by 3-1/2". What a collection addition - the Wilt Chamberlain's rookie card in the year The Big Dipper really went big. Graded PSA NM 7.