Wilt Chamberlain Scored 100 Points in an NBA Game 50 Years Ago Today
Wilt Chamberlain set an NBA record that will probably never be broken – one of many in his legendary career – 50 years ago today: He scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a win over the New York Knicks.
A few notable reads on Wilt’s night:
Dave D’Alessandro, Star Ledger: Trivia question – who assisted on Wilt’s final basket to get him 100 points? Click to find out. Wilt’s tally by quarter: 23, 18, 28, 31.
Richard Sandomir, NYT: Chamberlain, a career 61 percent foul shooter to date, made 28-of-32 on the record-setting night. For the season, Chamberlain averaged 50.4 ppg, 25.7 rpg and didn’t win the MVP. The narrator mentioned in the story did.
Gary Pomerantz, WSJ: “Virtually no one saw it. No TV cameras were there. No New York sportswriters were either, with the last-place Knicks’ season in ashes. Hershey Arena was half-empty, just 4,124 paying fans. At halftime, the irrepressible Philadelphia public-address announcer Dave Zinkoff gave away Formost salamis and New Phillies Cheroots cigars.”
I highly recommend Philly.com’s special section on Wilt. I particularly enjoyed the recap of the time former Memphis Tiger Dajuan Wagner dropped 100 points in a high school game in 2001. I remember it because I was working my first newspaper job and happened to be in the office when I saw a few mentions of it online, and we got it into the newspaper. Injuries ruined Wagner’s shot at an NBA career.

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64 Responses to “Wilt Chamberlain Scored 100 Points in an NBA Game 50 Years Ago Today”
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March 2nd, 2012 at 10:01 AM
And he went on to bang 100 girls after. First basketball player in the double triple club.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:04 AM
They changed the rules of the game because of Wilt. He was certainly the greatest basketball player of his era and lots of other eras.
Aside from basketball, the guy led a very interesting life.
/Wilt >>>>> Russell
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:04 AM
stay classy, DaJuan Wagner. I’m sure your team needed every one of those 100.
Wagner scored exactly 100 points for Camden High in a 157-67 win over visiting Camden County Tech on Jan. 16, 2001.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:05 AM
Bill Simmon’s head just exploded.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:06 AM
Legend
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:07 AM
If you’re comparing individual players, the arguments about Russell being a better player bear a close resemblance to bullshit.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:09 AM
Except in Simmons world where Russell is the GOAT.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:11 AM
So how do we know it really happened?
/Obama killed Breitbart
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:13 AM
So how do we know it really happened?
besides Wilt holding that 5×8 index card? And him talking about it ceaselessly when he wasn’t either laying pipe, or bragging about all the pipe he’d laid?
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:15 AM
Fun facts in the debate. Russell won the most championships because he played with other great players. Individually…not even close. http://www.basketballforum.com/6370139-post4.html
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:15 AM
Gary Webb and Vince Foster agree.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:16 AM
Kinda like Wayne Gretzky.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:16 AM
So ridiculously ridiculous.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:16 AM
A simpler time, if that happened today you’d have people on Twitter repeatedly calling him a chucker and asking why he was still in there late in a blowout
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:17 AM
Injuries ruined Wagner’s shot at an NBA career.Or, you know, a lack of an NBA game. Don’t know that colonitis is an injury, anyway. More like a disease.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:18 AM
I believe the Sixers are giving away pieces of the court from Hershey where Wilt got the 100 points tonight as a giveaway.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:19 AM
In the same season, he averaged 50-25 and didn’t win MVP.
So ridiculously ridiculous.
Speaking of ridiculous. Oscar Robertson averaged a triple double for his career and only won one MVP. Steve Nash has 2. Derrick Rose has 1.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:19 AM
I live about 15 minutes from Hershey and work less than five minutes away. The arena is a shithole now, but they still play district and state basketball games there. Pretty cool being in there knowing the history.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:20 AM
The day I watched Kobe drop 81 was in-fucking-sane. Can’t imagine what it’d have been like to be there when Wilt hit 100.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:20 AM
Don’t know that colonitis is an injury, anyway. More like a disease.
not colonitis, that’s the Greek God of bowel movements.
(ulcerative) colitis.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:21 AM
what did the black mamba drop a few years back, 81? that’s more impressive, IMO.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:21 AM
Wilt is one of the few basketball players that could transcend eras. Oscar, Russel, Wilt, Lanier — those dudes were beasts.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:22 AM
Oscar Robertson averaged a triple double for his career and only won one MVP.
for a season, not for his career.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:22 AM
No he didn’t
The three-point shot existing helped Kobe so it’s tough to say which was more difficult
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:23 AM
Wagner had colitis and it led to his colon being removed. Amazingly, the GSW still gave him a 2-year contract after that. Internet rumors of him having AIDS and being homeless.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:24 AM
what did the black mamba drop a few years back, 81? that’s more impressive, IMO.
the final score of the Wilt 100 game was 169-147. And he took 63 shots at the basket, and 32 free throws. It’s insane.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:24 AM
I love that the Admiral dropped 70
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:24 AM
Since I’m still fairly new here, how often do these dumb fucking political forays go on?
Could someone please e-mail me and let me know: obamaandmittfuckgoats@gmail.com
Thanks!
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:25 AM
for a season, not for his career.
You’re right. That was very TBL of me. However, from ’61-65, his cumulative averages were good for a triple double.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:25 AM
For his career? No. But he did average a triple double in the same year Wilt averaged 50/25. The MVP award went to Russell, who averaged 19 and 24 on a Celtic team that went 60-20.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:25 AM
He would have had 74 I think w/o the 3 point line. Him having 62 through 3 quarters against the Mavs total 61 points earlier that season was equally impressive.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:26 AM
TJ: Is anyone else following the Clementi trial on twitter? After reading the article in the New Yorker, I have to admit that this trial is really interesting. End TJ
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:27 AM
Wagner is from Camden, NJ. Camden is the subject of maybe my favorite comedy rant of all time, the Bill Burr destruction of Camden/Philadelphia.
/cant find link at work, sorry.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:27 AM
Wilt was also a badass volleyball player, a really interesting dude actually
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:27 AM
/Obama killed Breitbart
Only heard of the guy once until yesterday.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:28 AM
I love that the Admiral dropped 70
on the last day of the season, to win a scoring title. I can’t remember who he beat out, but whoever it was threw in more than 50 the night before.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:28 AM
Chicken/Egg argument.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:28 AM
I think this would have been a better picture for this post.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:28 AM
I like clementines. Some people call them tangelos.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:28 AM
Costanza’d!
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:28 AM
And he only played one game. He had a decent rookie year where he averaged a little more than 13 a game and I think that’s when his health problems arose. Good thing he was a one and done
/Not sarcasm
Also, when Wilt scored his 100, had the lane been widened yet? Just curious.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:29 AM
I think this would have been a better picture for this post.
Nice work.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:30 AM
He was also amazing at getting down rarely used kitchen appliances.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:30 AM
I think this would have been a better picture for this post.
Well done sir.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:31 AM
Just ate a few Cuties for breakfast.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:31 AM
Typically Fridays….but they’ll pop up once in a while. Best to just avoid them. Like Ballin’
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:31 AM
Against the Clippers, naturally.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:32 AM
Since I’m still fairly new here, how often do these dumb fucking political forays go on?
Typically Fridays….but they’ll pop up once in a while. Best to just avoid them. Like Ballin’
I’d imagine they’d pick up in frequency the closer we get to November. I’m glad I didn’t come around here in 2008.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:32 AM
Nobody was following him around with a camera while he banged 20,000 sluts either, but we all believe that.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:33 AM
To take the scoring title from Shaq on the final day IIRC. Even better.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:33 AM
Just wait until the summer, when the only sport is baseball.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:35 AM
The three-point shot existing helped Kobe so it’s tough to say which was more difficult
sure… but (again, my opinion) the playing field was more equal for kobe.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:35 AM
Sorry Dirt, didn’t see your reply first.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:35 AM
Just wait until the summer, when the only sport is baseball.
I know right. So excited.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:36 AM
The Admiral’s 71 boxscore…Dennis Rodman finished second on the team with 8 points, I enjoyed that
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:37 AM
The Admiral’s 71 boxscore…Dennis Rodman finished second on the team with 8 points, I enjoyed that
I see he made one of his 25 career 3 pointers in that game as well. Awesome.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:41 AM
Apropos of nothing, I am fucking sick of midwestern tornadoes being such a big news story. Who gives a fuck. There’s real shit going on.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:43 AM
Yeah, I noticed that too. Was surprised to see he made 10 that year. I would have guessed ten to be around his career total.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:45 AM
Sorry Dirt, didn’t see your reply first.
I appreciate the more complete information.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:46 AM
Apropos of nothing, I am fucking sick of midwestern tornadoes being such a big news story. Who gives a fuck. There’s real shit going on.
Gas Prices are going up. Will it derail the economic rebound?! CNN with more on the story at 8, 18, 28, 38, 48, and 58 after the hour.
/TN and KY are going to get worked by tornadoes this afternoon, from what I gathered during my morning weather channel jerk session.
March 2nd, 2012 at 11:00 AM
How many did they win before he arrived? How many did they win while he was there? How many did they win after he left?
March 2nd, 2012 at 11:00 AM
I was at the show where Bill Burr did his rant. the crowd booed the hell out of him but when he was done he got a standing ovation. It was awesome!!
March 2nd, 2012 at 11:22 AM
Reading into the boxscore, I’d be shocked if we ever see another guy named Bob in the NBA.
Bob Martin from Univ Of Minnesota of course.
March 2nd, 2012 at 1:06 PM
Wilt’s 100 is less impressive compared to Kobe’s 81 when you realize that his teammates were fouling the other team to stop time and let Wilt score.