Wilt Chamberlain

On 2 March 1962 Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a 169-147 win over the New York Knicks in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He made 36 of 63 shots from the field and 28 of 32 free throws.

The game was not televised and no full film exists, but official box scores and eyewitness accounts back the total. No player has come close since.

Context

Chamberlain's 100-point game took place on 2 March 1962 at the Hershey Sports Arena in Pennsylvania, a venue where the Warriors played a few of their home games. The Warriors won 169 to 147. He shot 36 of 63 from the field and an unusual 28 of 32 from the free-throw line, a skill that was usually his weak point.

Because the game was not televised, evidence comes from the official scorer, newspaper accounts, and a surviving radio broadcast of only the final quarter. A well-known photograph of Chamberlain holding a sheet of paper with the number 100 was posed in the locker room afterward. The record is accepted by the NBA as an official league mark.

Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points per game that season, the highest single-season scoring average in league history. The next highest single-game total in the NBA is Kobe Bryant's 81 points in 2006, which shows how far ahead the mark remains. Rule changes and a faster modern pace have not produced a challenger to the 100.