Wilt Chamberlain Docuseries ‘Goliath’ Sets Showtime Premiere Date

Wilt Chamberlain Docuseries ‘Goliath’ Sets Showtime Premiere Date

Showtime Sports has set a premiere date for Goliath, a docuseries examining the historic life, career and impact of NBA center Wilt Chamberlain. The three-parter directed by Rob Ford (The Cost of Winning) and Christopher Dillon (A Crime to Remember) will debut on demand and on streaming on July 14 for all Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers before making its on-air debut on Showtime on July 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT with episodes premiering each Sunday.

First announced in 2021 when it was being eyed as a feature documentary, Goliath tells the complete story of Chamberlain’s remarkable life and how it fits into the fabric of American history. Beginning with his emergence on the national scene as a high schooler in the 1950s and following through to his death in 1999, the show highlights with each episode a specific element of Chamberlain’s cultural impact, focusing on the areas of power, money, race, sex, politics and celebrity.

Among those participating in the documentary to place Chamberlain’s life and achievements in context are such figures as Kevin Garnett, Pat Riley, Rick Barry, Bill Walton, Lisa Leslie, Oscar Robertson, Jemele Hill, Jerry West, the late Jim Brown and clinical psychologist Orna Guralnik, among others. The series utilized artificial intelligence to recreate Chamberlain’s voice to narrate his own words, and is further bolstered by archival footage from the Wilt Chamberlain Estate.

Goliath is produced by Village Roadshow Television and Gotham Chopra’s Religion of Sports in association with Garnett’s Content Cartel, Happy Madison Productions and Heeltap! Entertainment. Exec producers are Ford, Charles J. Lindsay (61*), William Lindsay, Matt Mosko, Garnett, Mike Marangu (Kevin Garnett: Anything Is Possible), Brian Bennett, Shannon Perry, Chopra (Shut Up and Dribble) and Ameeth Sankaran (Tom vs. Time). Victor Buhler (McGregor Forever) served as co-EP.

“We are honored to team up with this group of talented filmmakers to bring the underexamined story of Wilt Chamberlain’s complex life to the masses,” said Showtime Sports President Stephen Espinoza. “Everybody knows Wilt for his legendary accomplishments on the basketball court – scoring 100 points in a game, averaging 50 points and 25 rebounds in a season – but there’s so much more to him than his stats. He was far ahead of his time in so many ways that will last infinitely longer than the numbers on a scoreboard.”

“It was an honor and privilege for my team and me to share Wilt’s incredible legacy with the world. Wilt’s cultural impact as a prominent outspoken African American athlete was revolutionary, especially during a time when social strength was not popular,” added Garnett. “There is no KG, [Michael] Jordan, Hakeem [Olajuwon], LeBron [James], Kobe [Bryant], or Shaq [O’Neal] if Wilt doesn’t pave our way. We all stand on his strong shoulders.”

Continued the Content Cartel principal, “We all owe a very special thanks to Barbara Lewis and Wilt’s family for allowing us the full access and trust which was crucial to tell this extraordinary story. GOLIATH is not only a tribute to Wilt’s extraordinary career but also a celebration of the mark he left on and off the basketball court and the world.”

Goliath marks the fifth collaboration between Showtime and Religion of Sports on the heels of Kobe Bryant’s Muse, I Am Giant: Victor Cruz, Passion Play: Russell Westbrook and Shut Up and Dribble. The project is part of a lineup of unscripted programming from Showtime Sports, spotlighting contemporary subject matters at the intersection of culture and society, that also includes Catching Lightning, Boys in Blue, NYC Point Gods, Stand, Iverson, McEnroe, Outcry and Disgraced.