At Spike’s Trophies, we’re proud to be a part of Philadelphia. Our city has given the world talented actors, athletes and artists. We’re always especially proud to see people from our hometown receive the recognition they deserve. This month, we’re featuring one of the greatest centers of all time, Wilt Chamberlain.

Wilton Norman Chamberlain was born in Philadelphia in 1936 (seven years after Spike’s was founded). Growing up in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia, Wilt’s prowess as a basketball player was evident from his freshman year of highschool when he led the Overbrook Panthers to the city championship. Going to Kansas University, Chamberlain immediately became a sports sensation, shattering college records and dealing with racism whenever the team played in the south.

 

Wilt graduated KU early and due to NBA regulations at the time, could not be drafted by a team for a year. From 1958-1959, Wilt “The Big Dipper” Chamberlain joined The Harlem Globetrotters, a time he remembered fondly throughout his life. Wilt enjoyed being a part of the Globetrotters so much that he often returned to the team during the NBA offseason.

 

In 1959, Wilt Chamberlain was selected by the Philadelphia Warriors. In his first season, he broke the single-season scoring record, doing so in 52 games. Wilt continued to be a star throughout his second season, breaking his own scoring record and breaking rebounding records as well. In his third season in the NBA, “The Big Dipper” set scoring records that have never been threatened. In 1962, Wilt averaged 50.4 points-per-game, set the single-game scoring record with 100 pts against the New York Knicks and became the only NBA player to ever score more than 4,000 points in a season.

 

It wouldn’t be until 1967 that Chamberlain would win an NBA championship. In his lowest scoring season ever (a still impressive 24.1 ppg), Wilt brought a title home to Philadelphia with the newly created 76ers, ending the Boston Celtics eight-year winning streak.

Wilt would be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and end his NBA career there in 1972. He would win only one more championship before his retirement. From 1974-1979, Chamberlain played professional volleyball, earning his spot in The Volleyball Hall of Fame, becoming one of only a few professional athletes to be enshrined in two professional halls of fame.

 

Wilt Chamberlain passed away in 1999 due to heart issues. He is often credited as one of the major forces behind the popularization of the NBA.

 

Wilt earned dozens of commemorations during and after his professional basketball career. To see some of the commemorations we offer from glass awards to plaques for the star in your life, visit http://www.gospikes.com/.

 

 

Here at Spike’s Trophies, all awards means something special.

 

Having been stunned in the last round, a fighter steps out of their corner with their feet back under them. He’s cautious, having been caught with a powerful left hook just minutes ago. The referee signals that both fighters may approach each other. Looking into his opponent’s eyes, the fighter can see that he intends to finish the fight in this round. The fighter steps into his opponent’s range and delivers a powerful jab to the head, receiving a right hook to the body in return. The fighter takes a step back, his opponent continues forward, intending to land a combination. The fighter slips a jab, then ducks under a wild haymaker that would have sent him reeling. The fighter, still ducking, returns an uppercut, then a hook, then another hook, all landing flush, he finishes his combination with a powerful straight, sending his opponent to the canvas. The referee begins his count. One. Two. Three…

Boxing is an incredible sport, steeped in well over a century of international history. Whether you’re a fan of the sport or not, chances are that you know at least a few names of the champions. In fact, Muhammad Ali was considered by TIME Magazine to be the most recognizable athlete of the 20th century.

 

The World Boxing Council was formed in 1963 as a body that would evaluate boxers on a truly international field. Today, the WBC is one of four different major bodies that organizes boxing events and awards champions across all major weight classes.

 

At the beginning of 2016, the WBC awarded Philadelphia’s own Danny “Swift” Garcia the welterweight championship, a belt he successfully defended in his hometown just a few weeks ago. With a record of 33 wins and no losses, “Swift” is a fighter with a chance to go down as one of the greats in the sport. Hailing from the city of brotherly love, we here at Spike’s are particularly happy to see him continue to make waves in the world of boxing. Garcia holds the same belt that was once won by Floyd Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and many others.

 

In 2017, Garcia will face his toughest opponent yet, Robert Thurman. At Spike’s Trophies, we’re looking forward to seeing Danny go on to be one of the greatest to ever set foot in the ring.

 

To learn more about everything Spike’s has to offer, from glass awards to championship belts visit us at http://www.gospikes.com/.