One More Stamp of Approval for the Big Dipper

To say that Wilton Norman “Wilt” Chamberlain was larger than life is no understatement.

Everything I’ve ever heard about Wilt Chamberlain seems far-fetched and hard to believe, the stuff of athletic fantasy and pop culture prominence that still seems hard to fathom, even 15 years after his death. Most of my early knowledge about the “Big Dipper” came courtesy of my father, an avid sports fan who, in an effort to impress his son, would tell fantastic tall tales about a half-man/half-amazing hoops figure, the likes of which we might never see again.

I could go on and on about Chamberlain’s accomplishments, but I wouldn’t be saying anything you haven’t already heard; you can check his Wikipedia page for that. Instead, I decided to pen this post to give one last dose of props to the big guy for getting what might literally be his “smallest”, yet most groundbreaking, accomplishment: being honored by he United States Postal Service with his own stamp. On top of that, it’s the first such honor given to any professional basketball player.

In an age where people send text and email much more frequently than “snail” mail, stamps have lost some of their appeal among the public, yet I’m still happy to see one of the giants of the NBA get this type of recognition. So the next time you’re putting those holiday and New Year cards in the mail, make sure to ask for a pack of Wilt Chamberlain stamps at your local post office to honor one of the all-time basketball greats.