NBA legend Wilt Chamberlin becomes first player commemorated on U.S. postage stamp
Legendary NBA Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain will make history by becoming the first player to be honored on a U.S. postage stamp.
And fittingly enough, the two versions being issued by the Postal Service are nearly two inches long, or about a third longer than the usual stamp.
It would not be right any other way for the player known as Wilt the Stilt and alternately as the Big Dipper. Chamberlain died in 1999 at 63, but his name still resonates in the sport. And even at its atypical size, the new stamp could barely contain Chamberlain’s dimensions.
“We still had trouble fitting him into those proportions,” said Kadir Nelson, the artist who painted the images.
Two stamps will be available for purchase honoring the star. One shows Chamberlain in the act of shooting with the Philadelphia Warriors, his first NBA team. The second stamp depicts him rebounding for the Los Angeles Lakers, the final club he played for from 1968 to 1973.
The stamps will be available Friday, in Philadelphia, his hometown, at halftime of the 76ers’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Outstanding.
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