St. Joseph’s Prep’s Olin Chamberlain Jr., grandnephew of Wilt Chamberlain, forges his own Philly basketball path

Before Olin Chamberlain Jr. was born, there was a little basketball in his hospital bassinet. After his parents had two daughters together, he would be the first son of Michelle and Olin Sr. It made sense for his first toy because “basketball is our family.”

Olin Chamberlain Sr. is the nephew of 76ers legend Wilt Chamberlain, also known as “Uncle Dippy.” He and his wife were high school sweethearts in Los Angeles, where Wilt played for the Lakers. Later on, the two decided to move closer to the area to be with family.

The Chamberlain roots run deep in Philadelphia, where Wilt played at Overbook High School, was NBA rookie of the year, scored 100 points in a game, earned back-to-back MVP awards, and won an NBA title. Chamberlain Sr.’s aunt Selina Gross still lives in the city as well.

“Family is critical, and part of moving out here was that my kids could be around the family,” said Chamberlain, who works in merchant services at Wells Fargo. “We had an option [for work] to go anywhere in the Northeast. We chose Philadelphia because of that.”

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As Olin Jr. got older, his parents made sure he knew basketball isn’t everything. Still, the St. Joseph’s Prep senior naturally gravitated toward the game.

Despite the fame associated with his name, Chamberlain has forged his own path in Philly and become a college prospect. That doesn’t mean the point guard hasn’t been reminded about his family name and the weight that can come with it.

“When I came into high school, those opposing student sections were ruthless,” he said. “I’ll be playing in a game, they’ll go, ‘You’re not Wilt Chamberlain, you’ll never be as good as him.’ For me, I never really took it to heart. I never really got offended by them. Obviously I’m not going to be him. I don’t think anybody’s going to be him. I’m more focused on being the best person I can be.”

Growing up, Olin Jr. recalled, his older sisters, Bria and Kayla, played with Legos and action figures, while he preferred watching ESPN at their home in Harleysville. In fact, each morning he would wake up at 8 and turn on ESPN to look at the scores from the previous night’s games, then rush to his parents’ bedroom to share the results with his father.

It wasn’t till age 9, he said, that he started to understand the magnitude of who his great-uncle was.

“Every single time I walked in a gym, if someone heard the name Chamberlain, they always asked me if there was any relation,” he said. “The older generation, they would always have a story to tell about him when he was at Overbook High School or watching him play. I noticed that from a really young age. My dad kind of told me the history of Wilt Chamberlain and his impact on the game.”

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Now 6-foot-1, Chamberlain started to have his own aspirations of playing college hoops in middle school. He competed on some of the area’s best travel teams, starting off at Philly Triple Threat, then bouncing around to Team Final, NJ Scholars, and New Jersey Beast.

When entering high school, he was choosing between the Prep and George School, but ultimately decided he wanted to play in the Catholic League. However, Michelle and Olin Sr. have always preached that academics come first, and he certainly has proven that and more during his time there.

This year, Chamberlain is vice president of the student body after serving as a student council representative for the last two years. His biggest promise, he said, was organizing a senior class trip.

“We just had our senior class trip to the Phillies game,” he added. “It’s the first time we’ve done that in like four or five years. That’s something I’m proud about that I got done. I’m also on the prom committee. The prom theme for this year is the masquerade ball. That was my idea. I saw A Cinderella Story when I was younger with my sisters. I was like, ‘Yo, why not do that?‘”

On the court, he helped the Hawks to a stellar 12-1 record in the Catholic League regular season, which was good enough to earn the No. 1 seed. The Prep made its first appearance in the PCL semifinals since 2018 but fell to Father Judge to end the Hawks’ season.

It was “heartbreaking,” said Chamberlain, who finished with a team-high 22 points. For three years straight, the Hawks lost in the quarterfinals. This season they finally got over the hump.

“You don’t want to see your child hurt and disappointed,” Michelle said. “I will say that he was proud of himself. He literally said that ‘I gave it my all.’ That’s all you can ask for. I feel like he did a great job. He’s still working on what he needs to work on. I will say he was watching tape [of the game] just to see what he could have done better, but that’s just how he is.”

Chamberlain has learned to serve as a versatile point guard who works off his teammates. He used to care more about scoring and stacking stats, but now he tries to facilitate and keep everyone involved.

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He credits his father and former Sixer Aaron McKie for instilling those principles. He spent most summers practicing with teammate Jaron McKie, who is bound for Dayton.

Chamberlain has yet to make his college commitment but plans to announce where he’ll be heading in the coming weeks. He said programs in the Patriot League, Atlantic 10, and Coastal Athletic Association are on his list.

Chamberlain wants to take advantage of every opportunity basketball affords him. He’s considering a business administration major or a pre-law track. He also wants to minor in marketing or public relations.

His father has a saying that came from Uncle Dippy: “Don’t give a darn about him. He puts his pants on one leg at a time, like you do.” He never wants his son to compare himself to others or feel the weight of the last name on the back of his jersey.

It’s really about “how you carry yourself,” he said.