 Wilton Norman Chamberlain was born in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , into a family of nine children , the son of Olivia Ruth Johnson , a domestic worker and homemaker , and William Chamberlain , a welder , custodian , and handyman . He was a frail child , nearly dying of pneumonia in his early years and missing a whole year of school as a result . In his early years Chamberlain was not interested in basketball , because he thought it was " a game for sissies " . Instead , he was an avid track and field athlete : as a youth , he high jumped 6 feet , 6 inches , ran the 440 yards in 49 @.@ 0 seconds and the 880 yards in 1 : 58 @.@ 3 , put the shot 53 feet , 4 inches , and broad jumped 22 feet . But according to Chamberlain , " basketball was king in Philadelphia " , so he eventually turned to the sport . Because Chamberlain was a very tall child , already measuring six feet at age 10 and six feet 11 inches when he entered Philadelphia 's Overbrook High School , he had a natural advantage against his peers ; he soon was renowned for his scoring talent , his physical strength and his shot blocking abilities . According to ESPN journalist Hal Bock , Chamberlain was " scary , flat @-@ out frightening ... before he came along , most basketball players were mortal @-@ sized men . Chamberlain changed that . " It was also in this period of his life when his three lifelong nicknames " Wilt the Stilt " , " Goliath " , and his favorite , " The Big Dipper " , were allegedly born . 
