Chamberlain was emphatic that he never went to bed with a married woman. With the way the game is played today, it will be tough for anyone to come close to that record. Chamberlain's 100 point game is an NBA record that will likely never be touched. Anthony Davis and Jusuf Nurkic posted quintuple-nickels (five each of points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks) just six weeks apart. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. He especially disliked his nickname "Wilt the Stilt", because it implied he had nothing to offer but his height. Chamberlain finished with 100 points on 36-of-63 shooting from the field (57.1 percent) and 28-of-32 shooting from the free . We will take a closer look at his remarkable quintuple-double performance and the myths surrounding the record. Are the Lakers dead? The leagues pace seems hectic this season, as teams attempt nearly 89 shots per game, the highest mark in 30 years. He averaged 30.1 points, 22.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 1,045 regular-season games. When Wilt grabbed a record 55 rebounds in one game against Russell, the Celtics still won. Weve ranked them, from 1 to 100. A lot of Chamberlain's records will be difficult to break. But the man who loved 20,000 women never married, and apparently died alone. Despite the backlash, Chamberlain never backed down from his claim. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Your login session has expired. We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. Give It To Wilt!". However, it's highly unlikely that this record will be broken simply because of a rule change that was enforced in 2006. Luckily, we can tinker with some available data from earlier in Wilts run. In 1960-61, that was the averagewhich means that teams went higher than 109 shots half the time; the night Wilt tallied 55 boards, his team took 128 field goals and 41 free throws. His basketball battles against his own personal David, Bill Russell, became a morality play which did neither man justice, but defined the essence of sporting success for generations of American fans. How many times did Wilt Chamberlain win MVP? But Chamberlain's enduring legacy is his series of losses to the Boston Celtics. From 1956 to 1969, only twice did they fail to clinch a championship 1958 and 1967. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Uh, what? Heres why. In addition to his accomplishments on the court, Chamberlain also authored four books. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. In his legendary career, Chamberlain scored 31,419 points, including the unbelievable. However, the Warriors also played 10 overtime periods that season, and Chamberlain logged 3,882 of a possible 3,890 minutes. For his career Wilt averaged 30.1 points, 4.4 assists, and 22.9 rebounds. He topped the rebounding leaderboards, too, and took the league's crown in 11 of his 14 seasons, often averaging by himself what an entire. Russell Westbrook will average a triple-double over a full season for the third time in a row. He probably would take a woman to bed any time he couldn't fall asleep. "The key is being able to stop him once or twice when you need to.". Chamberlain averaged 24.3 points, 23.8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists during the 1967-68 season. Wilt Chamberlain is one of the most dominant players in NBA history. A lot of NBA scoring and rebounding records look unattainable because of Chamberlain's dominance in the 1960s. We ask all these burning questions, and more! Two of the 10 records Bill Simmons detailed in his Book of Basketball as the most unbreakable have fallen in the past four years. The streak is part of Green's 1,278-game career that lasted 16seasons withfourfranchises Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and the Miami Heat. That's exactly what the Warriors did, feeding Chamberlain at every opportunity in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, while Drummond might expect to be on the court for about 60 rebound opportunities in the average 2019 game, his half-century-ago predecessor would have expected to be on court for about 110. NBA Playoff Seeding, Conference Championship Previews, and Best Bets, Adidas 2023 Sneaker Preview and Dillon Brookss Wild Outfit, Bucks Continue to Dominate, Believing in the Knicks, and Yet Another Live Show Announcement, The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 1 Deep Dive, The Ploys and Tactics Behind Oscar Campaigning, A Secret Laundromat Meetup, New Jersey Episode 4, and Potomac Reunion Part 2. He had been hospitalised with an irregular heartbeat in 1992, and was awaiting a pacemaker before undergoing hip-replacement surgery. March 4, 2015, 4:00 PM. The seven-foot-one . I've never seen Wilt stealing the ball from ball-handling guard and I've seen Bill doing that quite a few times. It is no surprise that analysts and pundits covering basketball call the NBA record book 'The Autobiography of Wilt Chamberlain.' Wilt Chamberlain won the award four times. It's not easy being Goliath. According to statisticians,. and our Rasheed Wallace, while with the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2000-01 season,set the NBA record for most technicals fouls in a single season with 41. Visit site . This exercise is meant to gaze in awe at Wilts statistical hegemony, not conclude that he was Drummond or Whiteside with a heavier workload in a different era. Due to the schedules forboth teams, he went on to play the Pistons' remaining 53 games and ended up with 88. Along with all of the buckets, Chamberlain also grabbed 25 rebounds and found time to dish out two assists. 135 games for Bill Russell, 8.1 blocks per game: I am a far better poster than anyone else here. Sure but not as much.. authenticate users, apply security measures, and prevent spam and abuse, and, display personalised ads and content based on interest profiles, measure the effectiveness of personalised ads and content, and, develop and improve our products and services. The NBA did not count steals and blocks at the time, so the record is unofficial. Games I tracked: Coaches and front offices understand the importance of rest much better than they did a half-century ago. In both categories, Jason Kidd ranks second to Stockton with 12,091assistsand 2,684 steals. Thirty seven years after he retired at the age of 37, Chamberlain s name appears in the NBA s record book a whopping 97 times. Keep in mind, a bulk of these games are from the later rounds of the playoffs. --------------------------------------------------------------------, Or more likely, newspapers only reported on the number of blocks when Wilt and Russell had an unusually high number of them. The Ringer has surveyed the field of NFL players who are set to hit free agency this month. Be the first one to comment on this story. Thats more than there have been total 30-rebound games from every NBA player combined since he retired. For Wilt to have this kind of % in the 61-62 season he would need to average 12 blks per game. Ive examined all of Wilt's footage that is available to the general public at the moment and collected data as well as numerous clips that showcase what I believe to be a very underrated aspect of his game on the defensive end. He also made 13 All-Star appearances, 10 All-NBA Teams, and won seven scoring titles. Jordan Greer is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News. He won it in 1960, 1966, 1967, and 1968. . "Wilt Chamberlain had a great deal to do with the success of the NBA," Auerbach said. https://twitter.com/bullsmanguy/status/1379037502430830595, https://twitter.com/bullsmanguy/status/1379037548207480836, Deflection Steal #2: (Phil Jackson) https://twitter.com/bullsmanguy/status/1379037597045944322, https://twitter.com/bullsmanguy/status/1379037633913921536, New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, https://twitter.com/bullsmanguy/status/1379037597045944322. It's safe to say we won't see any NBA players eclipsing those season numbers anytime soon. As Simmons wrote in The Book of Basketball about the pace-inspired wonkiness of this era, Compare the numbers from [then to now] again. All those extra shots often missed, and they often found their way into Chamberlains giant paws. That disparity leads to the final piece of Wilts rebounding puzzle. But the 42 boards he gobbled up 50 years ago Thursday in an overtime win over the Boston Celtics represent his most relevant rebounding feat viewed from todays context. Oops. In an era when a black sportsman's success was inevitably attributed to "natural" talent, Chamberlain was an intelligent, articulate black man cursed with an unmistakable natural attribute. Because of the lack of comprehensive play-by-play data for most of Wilts career, we have exact rebounding percentages for only the final three seasons of his career. Join our linker program. So, for the sake of missing games and financially,every player is incentivitized to ensure that they are called for less than 16 technicals in theregular season. 1 that suggests Drummond would struggle to challenge Chamberlains total is that teams in 2019 dont take enough shots. The modern game has caused records to fall and statistical outliers to erupt at the same frenetic pace as its games are played. But because of rest minutes, that kind of pace is simply unsustainable over a full game, or even just a half. Wilts rebounding anomalies extend beyond just that record. All 4 are legit hall of fame players and are well deserving. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? In a 1999 interview, shortly before he died, Chamberlain made the following revealing statement: "Having a thousand different ladies is pretty cool, I've learned in my life. In Wilts heyday, that average regularly topped 40. However, CP3is 35 years old and is heading into his 16th season. Fifty years ago, Wilt Chamberlain grabbed 42 rebounds (not a typo) against the Celtics. Wilt Chamberlain, 7ft 2ins tall and 23 stone, was forced to play that role all his life. He scored 100 points in a single game. After his retirement he dabbled with coaching, and took up volleyball, becoming a legend on the California beaches and playing professionally briefly in his late 40s. Russell's teams beat Wilt's in the playoffs five times in his first seven seasons, and Russell took home 11 titles in his 13 years. Your default site has been set for 7 days, NBA's notable unbreakable records including Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game and more. This record is most certainly going to remain untouched. According to statisticians, Chamberlain dropped 53 points, 32 rebounds, 14 assists, 24 blocks, and 11 steals in a game against the LA Lakers. . One unbreakable record is the Big Man scoring 100 points in a single game. On March 18, 1968, Wilt Chamberlain allegedly put up a stat line of 53 points, 32 rebounds, 14 assists, 24 blocks, and 11 steals. The reasons for their failure may have been inherent to the whole project. Drummond himself has done it 11 times. But could he really sleep with 20,000 different women? In a career lasting from 1959 until 1973 he scored 31,419 points. In recent times, only a handful of playersplay all 82 games each season, let alone multiple consecutive seasons. If this is all just based on newspaper reports the stats are not trustworthy at all. Wilt Chamberlain: Sample Average - 8.63 BPG Sample S.D - 4.05 Sample Size - 112 Estimate Career BPG (99% Conf Interval) - ~7.7-9.6 BPG If one believes that there is a "high" bias going on, taking out the 11 highest block numbers leads to a range of: Bill Russell - 6.7-8.0 BPG Wilt Chamberlain - 7.0-8.5 BPG The reality is there are only four real contenders. Allegedly this was the trigger that set Wilt off in the 2nd half. He put up video game numbers on a regular basis. The first one that comes to mindis obviously the100-point gameagainst the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962. A Hall of Famer, the late Walt Bellamy set the NBA record for most games played in a single season with88. Ive examined all of Wilt's footage that is available to the general public at the moment and collected data, as well as numerous clips that showcase what I believe to be a very underrated aspect of his game on the defensive end. Here's a look at a few notable ones that will remain untouched in the history books: Given the Goliath that he was, Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain would probably be the only player ever to have multiple unbreakable records, most of which would be to do with scoring and rebounding. Thanks to Mike Lynch of Basketball-Reference for research assistance. Wilt Chamberlain wasnt just a scoring champion. He loved proving he could do anything, spending years perfecting a "fadeaway" shot which actually worked against his strengths, taking him away from the basket. Plenty of records are falling this NBA season, but this feat wont. How many 40 point games has James Harden had? Report: Wilt Chamberlain may have fathered a child in 1964. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Thats barely more than Drummonds average now. One can only wonder at Wilt's rejections probably extremely few, to manage that 20,000 record. In Wilts final 40-rebound gamethe one celebrating its 50th anniversaryhis rebounding percentage was just 28 percent, as he benefited from playing all 53 minutes in a fast-paced overtime duel. This performance played a big role in how he's perceived by fans to this day. He scored 23 points in the first quarter and had 41 by halftime, then tallied 28 in the third quarter, when the fans began to chant, "Give It To Wilt! Find out more. Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. "The inside scoop was he was hungover," said Darrall Imhoff(via the Los Angeles Times), the man who took Jordon's spot in the starting lineup. It would be like saying Michael Jordan averaged 40 PPG because of newspaper headlines that only pointed out his great games. Theres a reason Joel Embiid told NBA Desktop that he considers Chamberlain the GOAT because of all his records. Pokes the ball from Kareem + steals Oscars pass attempt. Let's go back 60 years to learn more about Chamberlain's iconic performance. Recalling the difficulty of adjusting to his height, he remembered people asking him interminably: "How's the weather up there". But hey, let's at least give Buckner credit for scoring 33 points of his own. For his feats, Chamberlain was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978, elected into the NBA 35th Anniversary Team in 1980, chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996, and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Teamin 2021. In the 2 games in the link he averaged at least 14.5 per game. How The Sporting News covered Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game, SN 50: Chamberlain's 1961-62 season set list of unbreakable records. Wilt collected 55 of 149 total rebounds in his record game. The Biggest Questions About the Seasons Stretch Run, KDs Suns Debut, Load Management, and Five-Year Anniversary of the Rockets-Clippers Tunnel Debacle. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Before retiring, Chamberlain earned three MVP trophies, including Finals MVP and two NBA titles, in addition to MVP and Rookie of the Year. James Harden cant stop climbing historical leaderboards. The 76ers came away with a 158128 win. But it is believed that Chamberlain achieved a quintuple-double in that game. He would have a lot more steals if every opposing big took the challenge of playing him 1 on 1 as Kareem does here: https://twitter.com/bullsmanguy/status/1379037412291084288, https://twitter.com/bullsmanguy/status/1379037446818594825. 2 in Wilts favor versus Drummond: Teams in 2019 dont miss enough shots. He managed his money shrewdly, and found his reputation growing as his ground-breaking statistical domination came to overshadow his failure in championships. Chamberlain, who has been found dead in his Los Angeles home after an apparent heart attack, aged 63, always strained against his role. On November 24, 1960, Philadelphia Warrior Wilt Chamberlain snags 55 rebounds in a game against the Boston Celtics and sets an NBA record for the most rebounds in a single game. His 'Ironman' streakbegan on November 19, 1986when the Lakers defeated the Spurs in San Antonio and it ended with the final game of his career in 2001 as a member of the Miami Heat against the Orlando Magic. Chamberlain was the most dominant force the NBA has ever seen, Michael Jordan notwithstanding. Here is some official blocked shot data from other players of the Russell / Wilt era: The best BLK% of all time (actually since 73-74) is Bol with 10.8%. Wilt Chamberlain, in full Wilton Norman Chamberlain, bynames Wilt the Stilt and the Big Dipper, (born August 21, 1936, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.died October 12, 1999, Los Angeles, California), professional basketball player, considered to be one of the greatest offensive players in the history of the game. Maybe that tally isnt fair to Chamberlain, given that it comprises the end of his career rather than his peak. As he blocked 15 shots and grabbed 11 rebounds in the 2nd half alone. Privacy Policy. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos.