David Richman’s father Ike had a nontraditional career, co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers.

That position opened the Richman family to some unique experiences. For instance, there was the period in 1965 when David had Wilt Chamberlain as a roommate in his Elkins Park home.

The period of Chamberlain’s residency was his initial entry in Philadelphia pro basketball. It overlapped David’s Cheltenham High School freshman year.

The two shared a room, and David captured those memories in his 2018 memoir, Wilt, Ike & Me.

In recalling those days, David said, “Wilt had enormous respect and love for both of my parents. He told me that he had never slept better in his life than he did during the days that he lived in our home with us.”

“In retrospect, the two things that I found most impressive about him was the fact that he had no fear and no self-doubt.”

The experience left David with a valuable takeaway.

He said, “I always loved this [Chamberlain] quote: ‘Size has never been a barometer for measuring the worth of a man, unless you are talking about the size of his heart.’ It really fits this seven-foot-one, 250-pound giant to a tee.”

David will be at the Narberth Bookshop, 221 Haverford Ave., on May 11 at 7:00 PM, speaking about and signing his book.

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Wilt Chamberlain highlight reel as a Philadelphia 76er.