From Swamp Dragons to superstars, the grand experiment that is the Brooklyn Nets

Rustin Dodd Mar 9, 2021 56
In the spring of 1986, three and a half decades before a big three came to Brooklyn, New Jersey Nets president Bernie Mann was dreaming up his own big idea. It would be, he figured, a fun experiment, a move that would shock the NBA, jolt his franchise and test the limits of the human aging process. It also sounded insane. 

Mann wanted to sign Wilt Chamberlain. 

It didn’t matter that Chamberlain was 49, or that he hadn’t played in 13 years, or that the Nets were fighting for a playoff spot. Nor did it matter that, two years earlier, Chamberlain had starred opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Conan the Destroyer,” whetting his appetite for Hollywood. (At least he was in great shape.) It didn’t even matter that Nets coach Dave Wohl thought the idea was ridiculous. Mann, who owned a stake in the franchise, saw headlines. Chamberlain could play 10 minutes per game. The Nets would boost attendance.