 On October 24 , 1959 , Chamberlain finally made his NBA debut , starting for the Philadelphia Warriors . Chamberlain immediately became the NBA 's best paid player , earning $ 30 @,@ 000 ( equal to about $ 244 @,@ 000 today ) in his rookie contract ; in comparison , the previous top earner was Bob Cousy of the Boston Celtics with $ 25 @,@ 000 ; in fact , Gottlieb bought the whole Warriors franchise for $ 25 @,@ 000 seven years earlier . 
