Worst Trades - Wilt Chamberlain for 3 Players

It was a sad day in 1968 when the Philadelphia 76ers decided to trade Wilt Chamberlain to the Los Angeles Lakers for three players. It was one of the worst trades in NBA history, although it was one of the Lakers' better trades of all times.

Chamberlain was past his prime; he averaged more than 33 points his first nine years in the league. But he was still a feared scorer, rebounder and defender. The Big Dipper was needed in Los Angeles to bring stability to the middle of the court and help Jerry West put points on the board.

Why did Philadelphia think this was one of its better trades? Perhaps they believed Wilt the Stilt was starting to lose it. His average had dropped nearly nine points per game over the three years he had been in the 76ers lineup. They no doubt thought the 32-year-old Chamberlain was on the downside of his career and believed the three players they acquired for him would make it a better trade. But Jerry Chambers, Archie Clark and Darrall Imhoff never exactly measured up, making it one of the worst trades in the annals of the NBA.

New Philadelphia coach Jack Ramsey wanted to turn the franchise into a running team and didn't see Chamberlain as a good fit. Oh, well, that didn't quite work out.

Chamberlain played five more seasons with the Lakers before retiring after the 1972-73 season. His scoring output continued to fall – he averaged only 13.2 points his final season – but he never averaged fewer than 18.2 rebounds. During his time with the Lakers he led the league in rebounds four times and helped the team win the 1971-72 championship.

Chamberlain was inducted into the Professional Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979.