Wilt Chamberlain dunked from the free throw line and terrified the rule makers

It’s unfair how absurd Wilt’s athleticism was. It’s also unfair that the rules held him back.

The free throw line as we know it is one of the least considered aspects of basketball. A shooter gets fouled, they go stand behind it, toss up a shot or two or three and hope to get a point each time. I’ll pause for you to finish your yawn.

Now, you may find yourself asking, “is there anything we can do to really sex it up?” While I have many suggestions — most of which the producers of Shark Tank are too cowardly to hear out — one area that is a no fly zone is how the ball reaches the basket. It must be shot. I guess that’s where the “throw” part of the name comes in. If you happen to be able to jump 15 feet and slam the ball home, well that’s very neat but it is even more illegal.

For most people, that’s not even a consideration. Wilt Chamberlain was not most people though. He could do this. He could jump far and dunk well and make me feel personally attacked for my athletic deficiencies over half a century later. So, how could someone ever manage to keep such a large bird in a cage? Well, check out this episode of Weird Rules to find out.