It was an epic game for Wilt Chamberlain and his teammates on the Philadelphia Warriors when he set the record for scoring 100 points total in an NBA game during their face-off against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962. Ever since that day, no other basketball player has been able to break his record.
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How Did Wilt Chamberlain Score 100 Points in That Game?
Wilt Chamberlain stood at a stocky 7”1’ during the prime of his career with a size 15 basketball shoe when he played for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association. Talk about tall, strong, and intimidating on the court. His height made it easy for him to make successful shots from almost anywhere on the court, which was mostly from the free-throw line throughout his career.
During that game, he made 36 of 63 points shooting while in the field and then another 28 of 32 while he was standing at the free-throw line. In this game in particular, he was able to achieve 90% of his attempted free throws. Besides the great 100-point record during this game, Chamberlain also achieved 25 rebounds as well as 2 assists.
What Basketball Players Have Come Close to the Record?
During the face-off between the Philadelphia 76ers versus the Spurs on January 22, 2024, Joel Embiid scored 70 points in that game. Funny enough, there was a close call of an NBA player almost breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s record 18 years earlier to the date. Rest in peace to Kobe Bryant who scored 81 the most points in one game of his career when the Los Angeles Lakers went toe to toe against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006.
On January 3, 2024, Donovan Mitchell was able to break a franchise record for the Cleveland Cavaliers and scored 71 points in a game against the Chicago Bulls. Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks managed to score 73 points on January 26, 2024, in a face-off with the Atlanta Hawks. Most recently, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers was able to score 71 points in one game on February 26, 2023, when they went versus the Houston Rockets.
Back in 1990, Michael Jordan, who played as a shooting guard, outfielder, and small forward, scored his career’s best points in a game of 69 when the Chicago Bulls went against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Larry Bird, small forward and power forward for the Celtics, scored 60 points in one game when his team faced off with the Atlanta Hawks on March 12, 1985.
Conclusion
The person who came closest to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point record was Kobe Bryant during his 81-point game in 2006. Bryant stood at 6”6’ and we can all see that height and overall skill combined play a factor in how many points a player can score in one game.
As more NBA players rise through the ranks and continue to work their hardest, someone may very well one day break Wilt Chamberlain’s most points in a game record. Until then, it is Wilt the Stilt who reigns supreme in his legacy for this record until further notice.
