A View from Above - Hardcover

Chamberlain, Wilt

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0517117045 ISBN 13: 9780517117040

Publisher: Random House Value Publishing, 1994

Synopsis

The former basketball star speaks out on Bill Russell, race relations, the NBA, sex, women, Kareen Abdul-Jabbar, and many other hot topics. Reprint.

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews

``When I play games I am so competitive that...I will take full advantage of any slip...to the point where many...kiddingly accuse me of cheating. How else are you going to accuse a seven- foot 300 pound man of cheating but kiddingly?'' Intimidating as ever, basketball great Chamberlain (Wilt, 1973, coauthored by David Shaw) reveals a lot more than probably intended in this wordy wit-and-wisdom collection. On the playing floor, Chamberlain was sensational--his arrival in pro basketball totally disrupted the established salary scale, after which he redesigned the game, popularized it, and set a pile of still- standing records. But at the writing table, he is, alas, opinionated, resentful, and unconcerned about continuity, organization, or consistency. (At one point he's a gourmet; later, his favorite food is white bread with peanut butter and mayonnaise.) Chamberlain is also concerned with his stature and sexuality (``few recognize the sensualness I have in this seven- foot frame'') to the point where his isolation, never really dealt with, is painful to consider (though he's not concerned ``to see [his] athletic prowess embodied in offspring''). And he just can't let others be great: Globetrotter Meadowlark Lemon is okay, but team-player centers like Celtic Bill Russell and L.A.'s Abdul Jabbar are limited pretenders. After some obligatory respect, Chamberlain gets to his point: ``There may never have been a star athlete used as a yardstick as much as I....'' (What about Babe Ruth, Pele, Joe Louis, Bobby Jones?) As for today's talent, ``centers now are making $2 million a year...if you pro-rated my salary for what I did...I'd be making $20 million.'' Like Muhammad Ali, Wilt was the greatest, but there's no lilt or wit to make his tale palatable. Ali knows it took Joe Frazier to make him immortal, but Wilt stands forever alone with those awesome records. (Thirty-two pages of b&w photographs--not seen.) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Library Journal

Chamberlain has written his second book in over 18 years (the first was Wilt: Just Like Any Other 7-Foot Black Millionaire Who Lives Next Door , LJ 8/73). The times have changed and Chamberlain, now 50, has too. Always outspoken and sometimes controversial, Chamberlain feels he now has even more freedom to express his views on various subjects. Former and current sports figures, race relations, celebrities, sex, women, and money are topics upon which he has very candid opinions. Sprinkled liberally throughout the book are "Wiltisms," his interesting and often humorous philosophies on life. He devotes a full chapter to sex and love, and tells why he has remained a bachelor after all these years. This is a revealing look at one of the more unique, intelligent, and larger-than-life sports figures of our time. Recommended for public libraries. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/91.
- Jeffrey Nicholas, Lib . Svce., VA Medical Ctr., Castle Point, N.Y.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Value Publishing
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0517117045
• ISBN 13: 9780517117040
• Binding: Hardcover