“It gave me a chance to illuminate another part of my game” - Wilt Chamberlain on why he adjusted his role when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers

While playing for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, Wilt Chamberlain showed his dominance with his scoring. He was unstoppable because he was too tall for some players and had the skill to beat those who could stand toe-to-toe with him.

Unfortunately, his dominance could not put his team past the Boston Celtics until he joined the Los Angeles Lakers . There, he became more reserved, focusing on teamwork and supporting his teammates.

“I went from Philadelphia 76ers to the Los Angeles Lakers. Los Angeles had tremendous shooting basketball players, one being Jerry West, Elgin Baylor was on the team for a while, Gail Goodrich, Jimmy McMillan, we had plenty of shooters,” Wilt said in an interview in 1986. “What we needed was some defensive work and backboard work. It gave me a chance to illuminate another part of my game and so therefore, I abandoned the fadeaway jump shot, finger rolls, and the dunks to give them a chance to shoot.”

Wilt learned playing a more subdued role leads to

During the 1966/67 season with Philly, Wilt thought it would be best for him to play a more subdued role. He went from averaging 33.5 points a game the year earlier to only 24.1 points per game in that campaign. On paper, he fell off a cliff with his scoring, but he focused on other areas, specifically his playmaking.

Nowadays, we see centers becoming offensive hubs like Nikola Jokic or Domantas Sabonis. They were not the first centers to do this because Wilt was the primary playmaker for those 76ers teams in the mid-1960s.

Wilt knew he would become a better teammate, and the rest of the squad would benefit. Hal Greer and Chet Walker stood out as reliable offensive options, helping them to the championship.

Chamberlain experienced that even further when he joined the Lakers because he got to play with Jerry West , Gail Goodrich, and Elgin Baylor. Wilt scored only 20.5 points per game during his first campaign in LA, the 1968/69 season. He won the title with the team during the 1971/72 campaign, when he averaged only 14.8 points per game.

Related: "I just don't see how you would get equal value" - Michael Jordan believed the Bulls could never get anybody as valuable as Scottie Pippen

Wilt deserves more credit for being a good teammate

By being a good teammate and realizing how his scoring could have limited the rest of the team, Wilt learned how to become a winner. People said that separated him from fierce rival Bill Russell , who was considered a fantastic teammate.

Learning this lesson made Wilt a more effective player despite reduced scoring. In his later years with the Lakers, he embraced a role-player position while remaining dominant on the boards. Finding his niche even in his older age led to a great ending to his storied career, earning two championship rings.

Related: “Please don’t call me Stilt” - Wilt Chamberlain was never fond of his nickname ‘Wilt The Stilt’