Comcast SportsNet will commemorate the golden anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain dunking a century on the New York Knicks during its coverage of the Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors game tonight.
Chamberlain set an NBA record by torching the Knicks and Darrel Imhoff for 100 points on March 2, 1962 at the Hershey Sports Center in that sweet Pennsylvania city. A career 51% free throw shooter, "The Big Dipper" -- playing for the Philadelphia Warriors, the forbear of Golden State -- hit 28 out of 32 from the line that night, to mix with his 36 field goals that came on array of dunks and fade-away jumpers. Philadelphia won 169-147. The Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant has recorded the second-highest point total in NBA history, with the 81 he dropped on the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006.
CSN Philadelphia, which televises Sixers' game, whom Chamberlain led to the 1966-67 NBA title against the then-San Francisco Warriors, will spend the final 30 minutes of its March 2 telecast focusing on the legacy of Chamberlain, who died in 1999. Host Michael Barkann will lead a roundtable discussion that includes Chamberlain's former teammate Al Attles, Sixers' ambassador Sonny Hill and Daily News columnist Stan Hochman. Daily News Live airs at 5 p.m.
On SportsNite at 6 p.m., the regional sports network will feature interviews throughout the show, including a talk with Bill Campbell, who called the game on radio, and Harvey Pollack, who was the Philadelphia Warriors statistician and the person that wrote the "100" on the piece of paper that Wilt held in the iconic photo. Viewers will also get to see the preparations taking place inside the arena, and hear from many of the celebrities in attendance.
At 6:30 p.m., Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia will encore Chamberlain's last television interview during Wilt 100 at 50. Hosted Neil Hartman, the special showcases longtime sportscaster Al Meltzer discussing his conversation with the iconic basketball player just weeks before his death.
During the Sixers-Warriors telecast, Marc Zumoff, Malik Rose and Meredith Marakovits will celebrate Chamberlain's life, his roots in Philadelphia, and legacy. Viewers will hear from various people who were at the game in Hershey that night, plus others who were a part of Chamberlain's life, and from those who are trying to get Wilt on a U.S. postage stamp.
Online, Sixers Insider Dei Lynam's article centers on the current Sixers team's thoughts and memories of Chamberlain. CSNPhilly.com columnist John Gonzalez and feature writer John Finger will also have stories on the game night celebrations.
For its part, NBA TV at 7 p.m. will air Wilt 100, a documentary narrated by Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Bill Russell, Chamberlain's friend and nemesis.
