Paul Vathis: The Story of the Greek Who Immortalized Wilt Chamberlain’s 100ara

Sixty years will be completed today (2/3) by Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points and his historic record in the Philadelphia Warriors game against the New York Knicks. Chamberlain was late for a party last night and was struggling with extreme physical exhaustion. But that didn’t stop him from scoring in a game and putting his name in NBA history in gold letters.

He scored 23 points in the first period, had 41 at halftime, 69 at the end of the third period and was loudly asked by the crowd Chamberlain hit 100, making late-game history and hitting 100 with 31 points in the last third with 36/63 shots.

But how does a Greek photographer relate to such a performance? Paul Vathis (Pavlos in Greek) was a photographer for the Associated Press, one of the largest agencies in the world. With a huge career of 56 years in this agency, Vathis was the one who made the magic “click”, the one who took his picture Chamberlain with the card marked “100”, as many points as he had scored in that game against the Knicks.

This photo would make history, it would become one of the most famous basketball and maybe sports photos, and it came from the hands of Vathis, from the hands of a Greek. It’s the only photo of his legendary catastrophe Chamberlain was never published in a newspaper in 1962.

In this particular game, Vathis had gone as a spectator, not a photographer. His son’s 10th birthday was the occasion, the occasion, to give the world one of the sport’s most historic photographs.

From Chamberlain to Kennedy and suicide by gun

Paul Vathis, one of eight children of Greek immigrants, has immortalized great moments in the United States. From his photo Chamberlain in that of President Kennedy and the firearm suicide during a press conference in Pennsylvania.

He usually photographed football games until a photo of Kennedy with the 34th President of the United States, Dwight Eisenhauser, walking together and discussing political issues, prompted the press secretary from Kennedy’s office to call him.

Not only the photos of Kennedy and Chamberlain have made history. Dad was there Live suicide at gunpoint during a press conference in Pennsylvania, where Bad Dwyer committed suicide after allegations of bribery in front of bystanders. Vathis captured the snap and became the photographer who has captured some of the greatest moments in US and sporting history.

Vathis’ name and work were distinguished by the vision and “eye” he had on every click. Spending most of his life in Pennsylvania, he was recognized for his journalistic demon, instinct, and ability to find and immortalize outstanding subjects. He died in his sleep in 2002 at the age of 77 but left an era in world photojournalism.