By Melanie Mayberry, programming editor
The late Wilt Chamberlain, who hung up his sneakers 50 years ago, is still arguably the greatest basketball player to ever live. And now a new Showtime documentary on his life, Goliath, is scoring with the critics.
Rotten Tomatoes, which tracks critical reviews, currently gives the show a score of 100 out of 100, based on six reviews.
“Goliath is a first-rate piece of sports documentary filmmaking, one worthy of its titanic subject,” writes Scott Hines of the Decider web site.
“The three-part Showtime documentary proves most notable for portraying the sensitive soul underneath the NBA great’s brash exterior, as well as his trailblazing on behalf of athletes having a say in their careers and future,” adds Brian Lowry of CNN.
Goliath, which debuted on July 14, chronicles the big man’s greatest achievements including scoring 100 points in a single game and somehow managing to average 30 points and 20 rebounds a game in seven different seasons. (No one had, or has, ever done that.) But Chamberlain’s prolific on-court activity was nearly exceeded by his legendary off-court activity with Wilt proclaiming that he slept with more than 1,000 women. He dated a number of Hollywood celebrities including Vertigo star Kim Novak.
In related news, Netflix this week unveiled a trailer for its new Untold sports documentary series. This season will offer up close and personal stories about Jake Paul, Johnny Manziel, Victor Conte (the steroids guru), and the Florida Gators. The new shows begin on August 1 with the Paul doc. The Manziel segment is August 8; the Conte show is August 15 and the Gators will be profiled on August 22.
Here’s a trailer for the show:
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