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| | Wednesday, October 13 | |||||
| HERSHEY, Pa. -- Every time Kerry Ryman recounts the night he
watched Wilt Chamberlain score 100 points, he feels guilty.
After Chamberlain hit his last shot in the game at Hersheypark
Arena on March 2, 1962, Ryman, then 14, dashed onto the court,
snatched the ball and ran out the door. The ball remains in a
plastic bag in a closet at his Annville, Pa., home.
Chamberlain died Tuesday in Los Angeles at 63.
"If there was some way I could put that ball in his casket, I'd
do it," Ryman, 51, told the York (Pa.) Daily Record. "I took something
that didn't belong to me."
Ryman said he sneaked into the arena with friends and was
sitting courtside for the game between the Philadelphia Warriors
and Knicks. When Chamberlain scored with 46 seconds left, Ryman
made his move.
"When the ball went through the net, a few friends and I ran
out on the court," Ryman said. "Back then, you could do stuff
like that. I shook Wilt's hand. ... The ref threw the ball to Wilt.
Wilt bounced it on the court, and guess what? That's the last time
he saw it. I took it, ran up the steps and ran out the back door."
Gabe Basti was an arena security guard that night.
"Police were stationed around the arena," Basti recalled.
"After Wilt scored the 100th point, somebody yelled, 'Hey, a kid
stole the ball!' So I just took off after him.
"I chased the kid down through the park but never caught up
with him," he said. "Somebody told us it was Kerry, so we knew
where he lived. We could have gone to his house, gotten the ball
back and arrested him. But (Chamberlain) didn't want that ball
back, so the chief said to let it go and we never went to Kerry's
house."
Looking back, Ryman realizes what he did was wrong. So why
didn't he return the ball?
"My parents tried. They contacted the Warriors," Ryman said.
"Wilt didn't want any part of it. They finished the game with a
ball, and that's the one Wilt had. That's the one he was presented
with, but I have the ball."
It's hardly in mint condition.
"The next morning was Sunday, and I loved to play basketball,
so I'm the only kid on the block with a leather ball at the
playground," Ryman said. "We used it and abused it through the
years. You can't read a thing on it now.
"If I had the chance to do it over again, I never would have
taken the ball," he said. "If I could get $1 million for it, I
wouldn't want it. I was there and saw what 'Wilt the Stilt' did.
That's what has meaning to me." | ALSO SEE Wilt's agent says heart failure claimed NBA legend
Lawrence: Wilt was bigger than life
Dr. Jack: Wilt was a giant, gentle man
Wilt was much more than the 100-point man
Colleagues remember the invincible Wilt
Chamberlain had history of heart problems
In one of his last interviews, Wilt told all
What they're saying about Wilt
Remembering Wilt's 100-point game
West has fond memories of Wilt
Chamberlain's career statistics
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