March 2, 1962, saw Wilt Chamberlain accomplish something truly unbelievable. The Philadelphia Warriors center scored 100 points against the New York Knicks. Scoring triple digits in a single game remains a crowning NBA achievement. Some doubt the legitimacy of this record, however, his career is one of great accolades and tall tales. It certainly happened.
Analyzing the day in question further, illustrates how spectacular his play was. It also should show naysayers that this historic aspect is far from folklore. This is just one of many heroics that are part of ‘The Big Dipper’s’ legacy. A major reason for skepticism is the lack of game footage. Fans today are relying on word of mouth and a picture of Wilt Chamberlain holding a piece of paper with his point total (A photo that has been since recreated numerous times for athletes celebrating their own personal successes).
Unfortunately for nonbelievers, there’s also the official NBA box score. Audio from Bill Campbell’s call is available to listen to. Hearing the radio announcer’s excitement in the dying moments of a well-out-of-hand game continues to allow the moment to live on for global bball lovers.
How the game itself played out should further help the credibility of Chamberlain hitting the century mark. The Warriors sprinted out to an early lead and a strong third quarter made the fourth something of a formality. With the win in hand, the Philadelphia players collectively channeled their efforts to help their teammates go for something unseen before.
Fairly early on, possessions went exclusively through Chamberlain. The Knicks, aware of who was doing the most damage, aimed to limit the big man from scoring. Slowing him down through conventional means often proved futile. Instead, the New York side resorted to hard fouling. Free throws were seen as his weak point and truly making the Philly center earn points was seen as the only path forward.
While fighting off double and triple teams, Chamberlain was forced to recompose himself after each heavy incident of contact. On this night, the eventual record holder made the opposition pay for this tactic. He was shooting 50.6% from the charity stripe on the season. Here he went 28 of 32 with his free throws.
The 36 of 63 shooting from the field provided the rest. In a game that needed everything to go right for greatness to occur, it did. Taking that many attempts for someone as skilled and powerful as Chamberlain allowed for the unthinkable to happen.
Past performances from ‘Wilt’ should also show how great his play was. While the single-game record stands out, in truth, Wilt Chamberlain had numerous (unquestioned) high-scoring outputs. As a rookie, he scored 43 points in his first game against the Knicks. Since he stepped foot on the professional court, he seemed to will his way to produce points at a high level.
118 times in Chamberlain’s NBA career, he’d score 50+ points. This also includes 32 times in which he scored 60 or more in a game. Michael Jordan, by comparison, has the second-most 60+ point outbursts with 31. The 63-year-old feat may seem extraordinary to some today, but those continuing to doubt this specific accolade only need to do a deeper dive into his career.
The bottom line is, Wilt Chamberlain played with such dominating force that opponents were often left helpless in trying to slow him down. The man even forced numerous rule changes in something of an attempt to even out the playing field. Scoring 100 is incredible. In reality, his continuous stretch of high-output affairs should show that for him, it was always well within reach. Fans doubting that it happened need to pay their respects and do their homework on the current record holder.
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