Remembering The Great Chet Walker

Sadly, all 5 players that occupied the starting frontcourts for “my” two Wilt Chamberlain led, record breaking title teams, the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers and 1972 Los Angeles Lakers, are gone as the monolith yielded, the great and I mean great player, Chet Walker of those Sixers and later fine Chicago Bulls’ teams, died at age 84.

Chet was a sensational one on one player, a 2 time All American at Bradley University, whom he led to the 1960 N.I.T. crown and started up front along with Wilt and Luke Jackson (each deceased), on that awesome ’67 Sixers team, that 5’d the 8 time champion Boston Celtics in the semis, winning the finale (140-116). (Of course, a la Mark Twain, who panned J.F. Cooper’s “The Last of the Mohicans,” “news,” stating the end for those great Celtics was greatly exaggerated, as they came back to win the next two NBA crowns).

As stated, with Chet dying, all 5 frontcourt starters on those two great teams no longer walk the earth, as Lakers’ Harold “Happy” Hairston and Jim McMillian and of course Wilt predeceased Chet Walker.

Last night I tuned to, “in his 80’s, someone named Mick Jagger,” talk of loss and how prevalent it is at his age. He thus seeks younger.

Perhaps, even likely a good idea, but it will not come for me from modern sports.

Instead, without dwelling I will think back to the less exposed days of sports, when touching a hot metal within the radio, (the outer dial was lost), I tuned to listen to a fine broadcaster, Andy Musser and at times Sonny Hill with decent analysis, on 1210 WCAU in Philadelphia, to hear and at times on a game of the week, see Chet Walker and the Sixers.

Later, more frequent TV appearances, showing Chet’s amazing skills, with an excellent Bulls’ team.

Two more, one a dream/fantasy, the other a bit Wilt “brag” and perhaps blue.

There were great battles between the Knicks’ excellent forward Dave DeBusschere and Chet and perhaps with the “Z”, Dave Zinkoff and John F.X.Condon, the respective great public address announcers of the Sixers and Knicks, introducing in their inimitable ways, the two can clash again, in a better place.

Famously, Wilt “played with us” and wrote in a later book that he had “slept” with 20,000 women.

A ridiculous claim! However, In his excellent book, “WILT “Just like any other 7 foot black millionaire,” who lives next door,” written with David Shaw, bragged more modestly and very likely accurately, about his sex life.

In one passage, he cites that Chet Walker, one of the greatest players, would “stand guard” and whistle to hopefully, drown out the sounds of passion, emanating from the airplane lavatory, where Wilt was “with a woman.”

God/G-d/that force both, as I nearly a foot shorter than Wilt, have trouble just standing to urinate in those lavatories.

Where there is a will or lust, there is a way, and Chet evoked a different passion, that of sheer artistry and skill in the game of basketball.

The great Chet Walker, pictured above.