Wilt Chamberlain Scores 100 Points
Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single NBA game - a record that has never been broken
March 02, 1962
A Night Nobody Saw Coming
On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored 100 points in a single NBA game against the New York Knicks in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a record that has never been challenged or approached in the six decades since. Chamberlain scored 41 points in the first half and then kept going, gradually approaching a mark that seemed impossible. Fans and teammates grew aware of what might be happening and began encouraging him to keep shooting even as the Knicks fouled other Warriors players to get the ball back and keep the score down. With 46 seconds left, Chamberlain scored his 100th point on a dunk, and fans stormed the court.
The Game That Almost Wasn't Documented
The game was played in Hershey rather than Philadelphia because the Warriors sometimes held games in other Pennsylvania cities to broaden their fan base. There was no local television coverage, and no photographer was present for the final buzzer. The only known photo of Chamberlain that night shows him in the locker room afterward, holding a sheet of paper with "100" written on it in marker. A radio broadcast exists, allowing listeners to hear the final moments live. The lack of visual documentation gives the game an almost mythological quality, which has if anything increased its legendary status in basketball history.
The Greatest Statistical Performance in Sports
Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game is widely regarded as the greatest single-game statistical performance in the history of professional sports. No player has come within 30 points of the record in a regulation NBA game. Chamberlain was a physical force unlike any seen before or since — seven feet one inch tall, powerfully built, and with an agility that allowed him to dominate games in ways that defenders had no answer for. He also holds the NBA record for career rebounds and averaged 50.4 points per game for the entire 1961-62 season — another mark unlikely ever to be challenged. The 100-point game is the crown jewel of a career full of performances that have never been equaled.