Jerry West explained why he doesn't believe Wilt slept with 20000 women: "Wilt had a tendency to elaborate things and make him bigger than life"
Wilt Chamberlain shattered basketball records at a pace the sport, and quite literally, the whole world, had never seen before. From the night he dropped 100 points to the absurd stat lines that still sit untouched, the man was a walking myth. But how much of this is actually true?
His dominance felt almost fictional, even when it was backed up by box scores and game film. For all the absurd feats he put together on the hardwood, the one number that continues to follow him didn't happen on a court.
In his 1991 autobiography "A View From Above," Chamberlain claimed he had slept with over 20,000 women in his lifetime. The math alone was enough to make headlines. The story, whether intended as truth or self-made legend, instantly became part of the Wilt persona. And for decades, people have gone back and forth on whether it was even remotely possible.
Jerry West, one of Chamberlain's closest teammates during their time with the Los Angeles Lakers, wasn't buying it.
"In our last two or three years together, once Elgin Baylor retired, we played two more years. He and I, when we were on the road, he was a really nice guy…" the man behind the NBA logo explained in his interview on the "JAXXON PODCAST."
"Wilt has a lot of serious talks about things, and we would have dinner in each other's room after games and stuff, that's why I don't quite believe the story. Wilt had a tendency to elaborate things and make him bigger than life. And he told me that he drove from New York City to San Francisco in 24 hours. No chance!" West added.
West made it clear that he admired Wilt as a teammate and friend. But even with all the time they spent together, there were things he never quite bought into.
West and Wilt were close as teammates
During their time in Los Angeles, West and Chamberlain helped carry the Lakers into a new era. After Elgin Baylor retired early in the 1971-72 season, the West-Wilt duo steered the team on a historic run, winning 33 games in a row and eventually securing the NBA title. That championship would be the first and only title of West's playing career, and it marked Chamberlain's second ring after his lone win with the Sixers in 1967.
The two legends were the faces of the franchise for those final years and spent countless hours together, from plane rides, in hotels, to dinners on the road. And while West has always spoken candidly about Chamberlain's accomplishments on the hardwood, he also remembers the not-so-shiny moments that revealed a different side of the big man.
Which is why, when it comes to stories that feel stretched beyond belief, West isn't afraid to call it what it is. A bit overblown, out of proportion.
Related: Pau Gasol on how difficult it was to tell Kobe Bryant he would leave the Lakers: "He was very supportive and he understood"
Shaq also isn't buying this crazy statistic
The Logo isn't the only Hall of Famer who has called "cap" (modern lingo for a lie) on Wilt's most infamous claim.
Shaquille O'Neal is one of the few who genuinely tried to follow in Wilt's footsteps in the City of Angels, but even The Diesel isn't quite convinced the most infamous claim holds up. While he's always respected Wilt's game, Shaq simply can't stay silent about the almost impossible math behind this "statistic."
"Nope, that's impossible. Because first of all, he didn't have no cell phone. So how you meeting 20 women a day?" O'Neal said a while back on "The Big Podcast."
It's a fair point. In today's world, with dating apps, direct messages and personal branding, the idea of meeting that many people still feels ridiculous. In Wilt's time? It pushes past even the most ludicrous imagination.
In the end, the legend of Wilt the Stilt is already big enough. The numbers he put up on the court still feel surreal. Whether or not the off-court total is even remotely close, we'll never know for sure.
We'll leave that one to the reader's fantasy.
Related: "It wasn't two minutes" - Jerry West on how long he watched Kobe Bryant's pre-draft workout before deciding to pick him
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
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