On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain achieved the impossible: score 100 points in a game, the most legendary record in American basketball. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of this legendary NBA record, Basket USA is bringing out an article to pay tribute to this feat and of course to the man who died in 1999.
Recall of facts
Born August 21, 1936, Wilt Chamberlain (2m16, 125 kg) was drafted in 1959 by the Philadelphia Warriors after a tour by the Harlem Globe Trotters. He began his career on October 24, and finished his rookie season with 37.6 pts and 27 rebounds per game!
He is obviously elected rookie of the year but also MVP, a first in history (Wes Unseld will be the second to achieve this feat in 68-69). The following season, Chamberlain scored 38.4 pts and took 27 rebounds per game, and we understand then that this player will leave his mark in this sport.
His third season will be the apotheosis of his career from an individual point of view with a staggering average of 50.4 pts/game! Accompanied by 25.4 rebounds. But, little paradox, he will not be MVP, these colleagues (the players voted at the time) preferring his intimate enemy, Bill Russell…
So here we are in 1962, and before that famous March 2, he had already scored 60 points or more 17 times, including a peak of 78 in triple overtime against the Lakers! This is the NBA record.
An evening of history
On March 2, 1962, Wilt and his Warriors hosted the New York Knicks in Hersey, Pennsylvania. After a quarter time, the stilt walker (his nickname) has already scored 23 points, and at halftime, he is at 41 units. It’s huge but in line with his usual boxes. But the second half will put him in the history books.
A quarter and 28 points later, he is at 69 points. He is therefore only 9 units from his previous record (78 points), which is also the record in the history of the league at that time. From then on, the spectators grew impatient. How high will Wilt Chamberlain take this record? “Give it to Wilt!” resound throughout the room and the Philadelphia players will follow orders…
And it is on a dunk that he reaches 100 points. At that moment, the crowd, small with only 4,124 people present in the hall, invaded the field and overwhelmed it. However, there are still 46 seconds to play.
It is not really known if these last seconds were played. Today, 59 years later, it doesn’t matter, the performance is there. Verification is impossible because no video exists of this match, only a radio recording is available.
His coach, Frank Mcguire testifies to this feat. ” I always thought it was inevitable that he would. But when he did, I stopped: I couldn’t believe it ».
In the end, the Warriors won this match 169-147 and Wilt Chamberlain broke all records: 100 points (with 25 rebounds all the same) but also 63 shots attempted and 36 returned, and also a 28/32 free throw. It’s a huge perf ‘for him since he will turn in career at 50%…
Two other records also fell that evening: 59 pts in a half and 31 in a quarter. The first still stands, Kobe Bryant having scored “only” 55 pts, on January 22, 2006. The second is beaten first by George Gervin then by Carmelo Anthony with 33 pts, and finally by Klay Thompson with 37 units against the Kings .
A huge legacy
More than half a century later, his record still stands. Only the late Kobe Bryant came close on January 22, 2006 with his 81 points against the Raptors. Even if at the time this feat went almost unnoticed, its impact today is enormous: it is the most symbolic record in the NBA and the photo of Chamberlain with his “100” poster has remained in people’s minds. The man who designed this little poster died in 2015. Aged 93, Harvey Pollack worked for the NBA from the first season…
Despite this feat, Wilt Chamberlain will admit that this match is not his favorite. He prefers his performance of 55 rebounds (NBA record too) against the defensive pivot of the Celtics, Bill Russell, his best enemy.
Finally, for the anecdote, know that this record of Wilt Chamberlain is perhaps not the most unbeatable of all. That same season, in 1962, The Stilt had played 3,882 minutes in 80 games. That is to say 48.5 minutes per match, even though a match lasts 48 minutes! This is explained by the many extensions played by the Warriors that year and by the fact that he obviously hardly ever left the field.
