He is only seventh on the all-time best list: But Wilt Chamberlain (1936-1999) still holds the most incredible record in NBA history.
Unforgettable basketball evening in Hershey, Pennsylvania: Wilt Chamberlain on March 2, 1962 with the “100”. picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS
There wasn’t much at stake when the Philadelphia Warriors took the bus to the provinces on that rainy Friday afternoon in early March 1962. The players probably drove the 85 miles west to the small town of Hershey rather unenthusiastically to play one of the last main round games against the New York Knicks. In its early days, the NBA was by no means established as a major league. In order to acquire new fans, the management wanted the teams to also show up in the surrounding areas.
The Warriors’ “go to guy”, their most important player in those years, was Wilt Chamberlain. It is said that the 2.16 meter man, a notorious womanizer, had rather suboptimal preparation for this game. Party in New York City until the early morning, train to Philadelphia, big lunch with friends – and then almost missed that bus!
Only a few reporters and fans are eyewitnesses
The media and fans also shy away from traveling to the provinces. There is no TV station on site that wants to broadcast the game. The New York sports journalists are with the Yankees and the Mets at baseball spring training in Florida. Only a few radio and newspaper reporters came from Philadelphia. The stands in Hershey are also only about half full with a good 4,000 spectators. A number of them are said to have set out to applaud the football professionals from the Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Colts during a non-serious basket hunt, especially during the preliminary banter in the hall.
100 sounds better than 102.
Chamberlain explains why he stopped throwing
Those present should not regret coming. Although there is no Chamberlain show planned, it is becoming clear early on that the Warriors’ top scorer, who is hungry for strong numbers, is on a special path this March 2nd. Because in the third quarter at the latest, his old best of 78 points comes into focus. The Knicks rely on intentional fouls to stop the supposedly weak free throw giant. What doesn’t work. Instead, Chamberlain converted an unprecedented 28 attempts from the line in NBA history – with only four missed throws! “Philly” also deliberately fouls in order to be able to put its main actor in the spotlight again as quickly as possible.
The fans are merciless – “I was tired after all”
When the 80 was reached, the fans logically demanded the 100. Otherwise Chamberlain might have had a good time with his hook shots, lay-ups and the occasional dunk. “They were merciless, but I was tired,” he later recalled. So it continues. Chamberlain never misses a moment of the game, which is not at all unusual for this long-running favorite. 46 seconds before the end, after several failed attempts, the ball finally falls through the ring for the three-digit value. Radio reports show that over 200 visitors then stormed the court to celebrate the moment of this triumph for minutes. Chamberlain then remains in the center circle, enjoying and exhausted the rest of the game. He doesn’t want to convert the ball again because he realizes: “100 sounds better than 102.” In the end it was 169:147 for the Warriors.
Chamberlain’s family with Sixers management in front of the NBA legend’s statue in Camden in 2017. picture alliance/AP Photo
The score, which has never been even close to higher in the NBA since this unforgettable, almost bizarre game (Kobe Bryant scored 81 in his best game), fits Chamberlain’s dominance during this time. The center, who died of a heart attack in 1999 at the age of 63, collected points and rebounds almost at will. Only the team strength of the Boston Celtics prevented him from winning more than two titles in the 60s and 70s.
Rebounding was also his specialty
Even today, the name Chamberlain is mentioned in many places in the countless record sections of NBA history. For example, he continues to lead the all-time leaderboard in rebounds (23,924) and also holds the single-game record with 55 rebounds caught. He broke the 60-point hurdle 32 times in a game. Only Chamberlain and Michael Jordan managed a season average above the 30 mark over the entire period of their careers (both 30.1). The list could go on for a while, with the average operating times of the Never Tired, for example.
Chamberlain’s points hunt also led him to first place on the all-time list. However: After his career ended, six players now passed him. Dirk Nowitzki & Co. was helped by the three-man line introduced in 1979, and the successful attempts “from downtown” in 1982 also helped the Würzburger climb to 6th place.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the top of this list for a long time, had to struggle to make do with twos. He, who was active for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers between 1969 and 1989, scored his 38,387 points by, strangely enough, converting exactly one three-pointer. From a distance the giant was a dwarf. It was the indefensible hook throws that lifted the six-time champion to the top. Neither Utah’s “Mailman” Karl Malone nor Lakers icon Kobe Bryant, who died in an accident in January 2020, nor “Air” Jordan reached Abdul-Jabbar’s mark.
Until LeBron James came along. “I’d be lying if I said I liked him (the Record, d. Ed.) “Don’t see,” the “King” had already confessed before reaching the record, which finally fell in February 2023.
LeBron is already fourth in assists
The fact that his game has changed recently and James more often acts as a playmaker has caused his average points to drop somewhat. There are already 10,717 templates on his account. “LBJ” is already fourth in assists and belongs to a league with brilliant players like Jason Kidd, Nowitzki’s friend Steve Nash and Magic Johnson. Unrivaled for perhaps all time: John Stockton. Malone’s congenial partner in the Jazz jersey mastered the surprising passing game – ground pass, no-look variation, on the run, from a standing position – almost as if in his sleep. With 15,806 assists, he has an XL gap to all others. His ability to serve teammates certainly meant that Stockton knew where his opponents wanted to pass. Which in turn led to 3265 steals, also unmatched. However, Stockton never won the championship title in 19 years in the NBA.
A first version of this text appeared in kicker on December 7, 2020.
2024-01-23 12:34:58
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