Wilt Chamberlain played professional basketball from 1958 to 1973, spending 14 seasons in the NBA after one year with the Harlem Globetrotters.

Quick Scoop: When did Wilt Chamberlain play?

  • He joined the Harlem Globetrotters in 1958 right after his college career at Kansas.
  • He entered the NBA in the 1959–60 season with the Philadelphia Warriors.
  • He played for:
    • Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors: 1959–1965
* Philadelphia 76ers: 1965–1968

* Los Angeles Lakers: 1968–1973
  • His NBA career therefore ran from 1959 through 1973, with his final season in 1972–73 for the Lakers.

Simple timeline

  • 1958–1959: Harlem Globetrotters (pro but not NBA)
  • 1959–1965: Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors (NBA)
  • 1965–1968: Philadelphia 76ers (NBA)
  • 1968–1973: Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)

So if you’re just wondering “when did Wilt Chamberlain play,” the clean answer is: late 1950s through early 1970s, with his NBA run specifically from 1959 to 1973.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.