On a recent episode of ESPN's Up Close with host Gary Miller, some of Wilt's former friends and teammates, Gail Goodrich, Billy Cunningham and Jerry West, gathered to discuss his life and career.

The following is an edited transcript of that episode.

Gail Goodrich:

Miller: You were a member of the Lakers' 1972 Championship team... What was like to play on a team with Wilt Chamberlain?

Goodrich: Well it was a great thrill. I played with Wilt for three years there with the Lakers; during those three years we were quite successful. We won a championship in '72. We won thirty-three straight games. Having played against Wilt previously and then having the chance for him to be a teammate, it was quite rewarding. You know at that time you really needed a big man to win. Certainly Wilt was a big man, there is no question.

Miller: How much easier did it make it to just let fly with a guy like him under the basket?

	The epic battles between Chamberlain and Boston's Bill Russell produced the NBA's first, and greatest, rivalry.

Goodrich: It made a great deal of difference, because I was able to shoot with a great deal of confidence, knowing that we had someone there to get the rebounds when I missed. I said in our championship team in 1972 that of all the players made adjustments for that team. Everybody changed their roles; Wilt probably made more adjustments and sacrifice (to the individual stats and his individuality) to contribute to that win than anybody else on that team. Wilt, as you know, was an unbelievable scorer and really changed his game. I think he led the league, or at least the centers, in assists that year. He concentrated on rebounding, he probably gave up more from a personal standpoint to win there in 1972.

Miller: When you heard that Wilt had died before his time, how did that affect you, did you think, 'here is a guy that is never going to go'?

Goodrich: Well, when you say Wilt, the first thing that comes to you is his stature; he was a big man, not only in size at 7'1", but physically in his shoulders, and his upper body strength was tremendous. Wilt took care of himself. In the three years that I played with him, he never took a drink, he never had a beer, and he was always working out. He was in great shape. I think back to the last time I saw Wilt was when the Lakers retired my jersey three years ago, and here was a man sixty years old that physically could play in the NBA; he was still in great shape. I was actually driving on the freeway yesterday (when I heard about it) and it was a shock, a complete shock.

Miller: What personal thing do you remember about Wilt in his passing?

Goodrich: I think Wilt was probably misunderstood; he was a very caring man, he loved people, he loved to communicate with people. Yes, Wilt was very opinionated, but you always knew where you stood with Wilt. He expressed his feelings, he was just a very, very nice man. He loved to hold court, he loved attention, he loved controversy, and as a result, I think the media fed off that and he was good copy for the media.

Billy Cunningham:

Miller: Wilt Chamberlain played in the same era as Bill Russell and Russell won almost all of the time. How unfair is it to judge Wilt on winning just two rings (with Philadelphia in 1967 and Los Angeles in 1972)?

	“	I would love to see him play some of these centers today, it would be very embarrassing for them, to be candid with you. ”
		— Jerry West

Cunningham: I think it is very unfair, with the supporting cast that Bill Russell had, as great of a player he was, one player doesn't win championships. You need a balanced team, and if you see how many players went on to the Hall of Fame, then you look at truly great players Jerry West and Oscar Robertson during that era, who could easily be the two best guards that ever played the game, they didn't win championships either (in the '60's). Jerry was fortunate enough to be playing with Wilt to win his first one, and Oscar had to go to Milwaukee to play with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to win one, and Michael Jordan went several years before he got a supporting cast that helped him to achieve world championships. I think it is very unfair; the only reason that Wilt's teams have had any success was because he had to put up the numbers he did to have a chance.

Miller: Wilt was often criticized, by Russell himself and by Jim Brown, for not being "black enough." Was he misunderstood in that regard?

Goodrich: The thing about Wilt, Wilt was his own man, he drew conclusions, he was very bright, his friendships were never based on race or religion or anything else. It was either you were a good person or a bad person in his eyes and he established a relationship or he didn't. His political views --- I remember when he endorsed Nixon for President of the United States, because he felt he would do the best job for our country. That was very much against the norm at that time, but Wilt cared so deeply about others and did so many wonderful things, that he didn't look for recognition. Just being a close friend of his, I was aware of the many things he did, either contributing his own time or contributing his own money, especially to young minorities.

Miller: Wilt was scary to look at, how different was that from his personality inside?

Cunningham: I was with him a month ago, I have never been around anyone that had such a presence as his. Here was the first 7-footer that had the athleticism to run the court and do things that had never been seen before by somebody over 7 feet tall. He was always projected as the Goliath and I think that hurt him a great deal in many ways, and that is the perception that fans had. And another thing: Wilt was so far ahead of his time in dealing with the media; when you asked a question Wilt would give you a very blunt, honest answer. In those days when a player had a good day, he would just say "I got lucky and the (other) guy had a bad game." Wilt would come out and say, "The guy can't stop me, I just can dominate him anytime I feel like it." That was probably the same feeling I had or other players had at that time, but we didn't voice it and it (Chamberlain's statements) weren't well received by public.

Miller: Did you ever see him get really mad on or off the court?

Cunningham: Wilt would raise his voice in the locker room and guys that knew him would just laugh, his bark was worse them his bite. He was a pussy cat, and when he played the game he was a pussy cat. As a teammate, I can't tell you how many of us told him "when you go to the basket really dunk it hard." And because players in many cases would get there with their hand between the rim of the basket and the ball to block his shot, he would back off, afraid that he would hurt that person or break their wrist.

Miller: In his autobiography, Wilt says that he was with 20,000 women. When you saw him recently, do you think he regrets not having any heirs?

Cunningham: No, I think that Wilt knew how he wanted to live his life, wanted to make sure that as his life went on, that he helped others. In regards to that quote in that book, I know that was done for promotional reasons to sell a book. I know that was not fact, it was something that I think afterwards he was very sorry that he even said. He had great respect for the family and the upbringing he had with his mom and dad who were truly special people having a son like him.

Jerry West:

Miller: Jerry, I could tell yesterday your emotions were starting to show through, how do you feel today?

West: Well, to be honest with you Gary, it maybe touches me more today, because yesterday was such a shock. Even though I knew he was having some physical problems, you think about all the times you spent together, the good times, the bad times, the enormous amount of pleasure you got from winning games and the terrible felling you have when you lose, I shared those with him. I also shared with him at a time when his basketball career was changing, as all older players start to do. He had changed so much as a player. It wasn't the fact that he couldn't be a dominating scorer anymore, but I think he had gotten so much criticism that his teams didn't win as much as everyone thought they should, and he was just a joy for me to play with.

Miller: He still had a very great physical presence, you said that this makes you think about your own mortality?

West: I don't think there is any question. I'm sixty-one and I try to take care of myself, but I think all athletes, when you are playing, you put a lot of pressure on yourself out there. You put a lot of stress, not only on your body, but the emotional part of the game -- it takes as much emotional will as it does physical. And I think that we all get to the point in time when we say "wait a minute, I better step back and look at myself a little differently than I do today."

Miller: Do you think about what you are doing with your life, when you see someone like Wilt pass away?

West: He was able to do something I was never able to do. He truly enjoyed traveling, he truly enjoyed meeting a lot of people. I was quieter, a little bit more reserved than him, but that was the essence of who he was. He was a very public figure besides being this mountain of a man, he lived his life to the fullest.

Miller: What was it like to walk into an airport or restaurant, or be on the road with this giant?

West: At times you felt sorry for him, because people were always asking all the things you hear about tall men, "how's the weather up there, shorty." It did bother him, I don't think there is any question. I saw an interview he did, and he was talking about people who were bigger, and he says "No one asks them how much they weigh, but everyone asks me how tall I am." Because of his incredible size and strength, people looked at him differently, but this was more than some big guy who dunked the basketball and ran up and down the court. This was a true athlete, his physical presence was unbelievable. You hear people compare players in certain eras: I would love to see him play some of these centers today, it would be very embarrassing for them, to be candid with you.

Miller: When you reflect on all the times you spent together, what sticks out?

West: Probably a time in my career, when I was getting very frustrated with not being able to play on a championship team. I think when you give so much to the game, the pain that goes with winning, sometimes, and losing... he emotionally kind of resurrected me. When we got him, all of a sudden I thought 'maybe we have a chance now.' That is a positive thing from an athlete who is suffering from the stress syndrome that athletes do go through. And he really reinvigorated my desire to play the game.

Miller: What was the most vulnerable thing about Wilt?

West: I think anyone that played with him at different times, probably saw something different. I think when he first started out in his career, everyone rooted against him, even the people in his hometown. I think when he came to Los Angeles, he did change. I think the change for him was, he wasn't going to fight it anymore. He was just going to be Wilt Chamberlain, and let people do what they must do with regards to how they perceive him. But I think the thing I saw about him, some of the things that were written about him, you saw how vulnerable he was, you saw how hurt he was. A lot of nights on the road, we would sit in his room and talk about things, we would talk about things that were written about him, I got to look at him in a different manner during that period of time. He really was a gentle giant, never really saw him angry enough to take a swing at someone -- God forbid he would have done that! More importantly during that era of time, the game was a dirty game, a rough game, always has been. It still can be a physical game, it was a dirty game, and some of the things that happen to you as a player you really remember and some of the people that you play against, it would really make you angry, but he never lashed out, and I think that was a real tribute to the person.

Miller: Do you think Wilt was regretful that he never had any heirs?

West: Well, it would be wonderful for any man to have a family, those are the things that highlight our lives, watching our kids grow up, watching the struggles they go through in life, but with him that is not what he choose to do with his life. We used to talk about it all the time, he said he likes to travel and no one would understand his lifestyle.