Ryan Lahiff; Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival; Bateman/Getty Images
After several years in and out of the market, shares of a custom-made Los Angeles stock formerly owned by late Lakers basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain finally traded for a rebound of less than $9.7 million. Although that's far less than current $19 million owner Dmitry Novikov originally wanted, it's still about $3 million more than the Russian-born investor paid TV writers George Meyer and Maria Semple for the place in early 2008.
Records show that the discount-minded buyer who received the monster spread in an off-market deal is popular cryptocurrency entrepreneur Eric Voorhees. The Bitcoin pioneer founded BitInstant in 2011, then went on to launch and serve as CEO of ShapeShift, a cryptocurrency exchange that allows its 1 million-plus users to switch between different cryptocurrencies without having to create an account. Per BitKan, his net worth as of August 2023 was estimated at $30 million.
The gated property sits atop a sprawling promontory adorned with picturesque gardens.
Ryan Lahiff
As for Voorhees's new digs, they were built more than five decades ago by Chamberlain — known to his fans as “The Big Dipper” — who bought a $150,000 plot of land in the rugged mountains above Bel Air and then recruited famed architect David Tennyson Rich . To design an expensive $1.5 million bachelor pad known as the “Ursa Major”. The 1970s buildings underwent an extensive remodeling in 2008 by Novikov, which included sprucing up the kitchen, as well as retrofitting the basement with a screening room and guest bedrooms.
Set in the middle of a secluded cul-de-sac — on a 2.5-acre gated hilltop plot that served as a site for Nike anti-aircraft missiles during the Cold War — the redwood, glass and stone structure contains five bedrooms and eight bathrooms in about 9,400 rooms. Square feet of living space. In addition to the aforementioned screening room, other attractive amenities include a billiards room, a gym equipped with a sauna and glass walls offering sweeping views of the mountain, ocean and reservoir.
The five-story great room features a cathedral ceiling, walls of windows, tree-like columns, and Bouquet Canyon stone.
Ryan Lahiff
Guests are welcomed by a stone archway that passes over a water feature before being unloaded at the massive 2,000-pound front door. From there, a great hall rises under a 40-foot cathedral ceiling, showcasing a sunken conversation pit warmed by a wood-burning fireplace and stone chimney. There is also an elegantly designed gourmet kitchen equipped with high-quality stainless appliances and an accompanying breakfast nook.
A “floating” staircase heads to the top floor, where the main spa extends to the entire second floor; Outdoors, the landscaped grounds contain a large pool that “envelops the home creating the impression of floating in a lake,” according to the listing. Rounding it all off: several spaces ideal for outdoor relaxation and entertaining, plus garages and a drive-thru that can accommodate more than 10 vehicles, and a separate climate-controlled storage building.
There are plenty of outdoor spaces for entertaining amid stunning views.
Ryan Lahiff
Chamberlain played for the Los Angeles Lakers for five seasons during the 1960s and 1970s, and was a key part of their 71-72 team, considered one of the best teams in NBA history. He was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978, and was later named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary Team. Chamberlain died of heart failure at his home in Bel Air in 1999 at the age of 63. As for Voorhees, he also owns a one-acre plot of land in Dillon, Colorado, for which he paid $260,000 in late 1985.
The listing was kept by Bobby Syed of Coldwell Banker Realty. Thomas Friedman of Sunset Lending and Realty represented the buyer.
Click here for more photos of Wilt Chamberlain's home.
Ryan Lahiff
