Wilt Chamberlain… one of the most dominant centers in NBA history… was also a very stinky man. Just ask Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and he’ll tell you all about it. Kareem testified to Wilt’s disgusting habits last year when he shared a story in the HBO documentary Kareem: Minority of One.
The Hall-of-Famer reflected on that one time where Wilt gifted him with one of his malodorous, sweat-soaked suits. The musty suit, according to Abdul-Jabbar, didn’t even fit. But he accepted the gift anyway and took it home because he didn’t want to offend his friend.
“He had partied in them and sweated through them, and they didn’t smell too good,” the Lakers legend said.
While Abdul-Jabbar may have been willing to tolerate the horrid stench, his mom didn’t want any part of that putrid scent in their house.
“My mom said, ‘We can’t keep these,’ and we had to throw them out,” Abdul-Jabbar said.
The topic of Wilt’s hygiene practices, or lack of, came up recently on social media when everybody’s favorite Twitter user, DragonflyJonez, vehemently defended his commitment to using aluminum deodorant, as opposed to joining the “natural deodorant” movement.
“Really don’t care if aluminum deodorant is taking years off my life,” the popular Twitter personality said. “That’s a trade off I’m more than willing to make. Growing old with a reputation of being musty your whole life is wild as hell.”
Another person, who goes by Erik on Twitter, then dragged Wilt’s name into the conversation. Sharing a screenshot from Basketball Reference, Erik revealed a nickname Wilt had earned for his sloppy habit.
That nickname? Big Musty.
This man scored 100 points in a single game and couldn’t escape that nickname, no chance anyone looks past a musty mere mortal. pic.twitter.com/4Tc3QzJwzR
— Erik (@SikkCaden) August 17, 2022
Now that you have learned this bit of information, be aware of what you might experience if you ever visit Wilt’s exhibition at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. It looks that’s where they’re keeping Wilt’s used jersey from his 100-point game.
So yeah, you might want to bring some nose plugs if you go.
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