Today is the birthday of one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA, Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain. Wilt Chamberlain was born on August 21, 1936, and had a storied career as a professional basketball player.

Wilt played for the Los Angeles Lakers, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Harlem Globetrotters, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall-of-Fame in 1978. He earned four regular-season MVP awards, and holds numerous official NBA records, including the most points scored in a single game (100). But Wilt set his most noteworthy record off the court.

Wilt Chamberlain has publicly claimed to have slept with more than 20,000 women. In other words, Chamberlain was claiming he had sex with 1.3 women per day from the age of 15 up until the year he made the claim, a rate of almost ten women a week. In fact, his lawyer once summed up Chamberlain’s reputation this way: "Some people collect stamps, Wilt collected women."

This kind of promiscuity does not come without risk, and in fact, Chamberlain admitted to having received penicillin shots, presumably to treat the STD syphilis. In a 1999 interview shortly before his death, Chamberlain expressed regret for not explaining the sexual climate at the time of his escapades, and warned other men who admired him for it. In light of this final message, the best way to honor Wilt’s legacy may be to learn from it.

Few people’s lifetime number of sexual partners will reach anywhere near 20,000. Regardless, for anyone engaging in sex, protecting yourself against STDs is an important part of staying healthy. While we doubt Wilt would preach abstinence to anyone, here are three easy things that you can do to help stay safe.

• Be honest with your partner about your sexual history, and ask that he or she is honest with you.
• Use a condom to reduce the transmission of HIV, gonorrhea, syphilis, Chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and pelvic inflammatory disease.
• Get tested on at least an annual basis. That way you’ll know if you have contracted any STDs, you can treat them appropriately, and inform your partner(s).

Without a doubt, basketball great Wilt Chamberlain lives on as a record-maker, both on and off the court. But if you want to walk a mile in Wilt’s shoes, don’t stick your foot in barefoot.

Related Links:

• Video: STD Prevention & Protection (Source: Sex Health Guru)
• Safe Sex Topic Overview (Source: WebMd.com)
• NBA Career Summary: Wilt Chamberlain (Source: NBA.com)