In 1971, Wilt Chamberlain was the most iconic basketball player in the world. At age 34, he was in the twilight of his illustrious career. Outspoken, often unapproachable. His talent on the court, undeniable. His record was 100 points in a single game. Two world championships (the second came in 1972), and an NBA record of 33 straight wins while with the Los Angeles Lakers. On February 18, 1971, he came to Portland to meet the NBA’s newest team, the Trailblazers. I was a junior at the University of Portland and a class assignment required me to produce a 10 minute documentary on a subject of my choosing. I focused on Chamberlain, my long-time idol, before it suddenly dawned on me that in days he would be coming to Portland. I told a classmate I would get an interview on tape with the Big Dipper, as he was often called. The day of the game, I staked out his motel room on the second floor of the old Thunderbird Motel, directly across from the Memorial Coliseum. And I waited, and waited. Saw all his teammates, spoke with Jerry West, a future Hall-of-Famer, on his way to breakfast. More waiting until his room door opened at 2:30pm. He brushed past me without breaking stride on his way to the coffee shop, saying “Right now I’m going to breakfast!” An hour later I was still standing in the same spot when he returned, a changed man. Rejuvenated after his meal he asked “And now my good man, what can I do for you?” He invited me up to his room and gave me a six-minute taped interview. Just the two of us. No entourage, no posse. He couldn’t have been nicer. The Sony mini recorder I used was the exact same model he had been using to study language tapes while on the road. A perfect ice-breaker. From a cold and drizzly Portland day came the interview of a lifetime. He retired after the 1973 season. He passed away in 1999, at age 63, from a defective heart condition.