Most points scored by an individual in an NBA game

The most points scored by an individual in an NBA game is 100 by Wilt Chamberlain (USA) when he played for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks on 2 March 1962.

Introduction: The Record-Setting Performance in NBA History

In the earliest days of the NBA, games could be low-scoring affairs. There was no shot clock, meaning that teams could pass the ball around without trying to score. In 1950, the Fort Wayne Pistons ground down the Minneapolis Lakers in a 19–18 win, which remains the lowest-scoring NBA game in history.  But there were still players with the offensive skills to make their mark. Joe Fulks of the Philadelphia Warriors set the league single-game scoring record four times between 1946 and 1949. On 10 Feb 1949, “Jumpin’ Joe” went for 63 points against the Indianapolis Jets, smashing the record of 48 by George Mikan set just 11 days earlier.

In 1954, the NBA introduced the 24-second shot clock. Teams could no longer hold on to the ball for long spells. Games speeded up and became more offensive. And a player was about to emerge who would rip up the record books – possibly forever.

The Player Behind the Record: Wilt Chamberlain

Following a teenage growth spurt, Wilt Chamberlain stood 6 ft 11 in (2.10 m) tall at high school – he had duck his head when he walked through doorways, earning him the nickname “Dippy” or “The Big Dipper”. His scoring feats at Philadelphia’s Overbrook High School made him the hottest young basketball prospect in the country; aged 17, he racked up 90 points in a single game against Roxborough.

Chamberlain went to the University of Kansas, guiding the Jayhawks to a second-place finish at the 1957 NCAA Championships. He spent a year playing with the Harlem Globetrotters before joining the NBA in 1959 with the Philadelphia Warriors. Chamberlain was an instant success, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year and NBA Most Valuable Player awards in his debut season. He had to absorb a lot of punishment on court, as opponents struggling to cope with his power and height – he was now 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) – frequently resorted to fouls. Yet Chamberlain was already setting records. On 24 Nov 1960, he achieved the most rebounds in an NBA game – 55 – against the Boston Celtics.

For his third season in the NBA, Warriors coach Frank McGuire focused his entire offense around his talismanic centre, keeping Chamberlain on court for every possible second. The results were instantaneous. Chamberlain would accumulate the most points scored in an NBA season – 4,029 – with the highest scoring average – an incredible 50.4 points per game. On 8 Dec 1961, Chamberlain broke Elgin Baylor’s NBA single-game scoring record of 71 when he put up 78 points against the LA Lakers. And he wasn’t done yet.

The Historic 100-Point Game: A Closer Look

The regular-season was almost over when the New York Knicks travelled to Pennsylvania’s Hershey Sports Arena to face off against Chamberlain’s Philadelphia Warriors on 2 Mar 1962. Only 4,124 fans turned up on a rainy Friday night – just two photographers were present, and no video footage exists of the game. There was little sense that history might be in the offing.

By half-time, Chamberlain had scored 41 points. In the third quarter he added 28, his scoring rate accelerating as his teammates increasingly passed to him. “They started feeding me the ball even when they were wide open," Chamberlain said later. He surpassed his previous record of 78 points in the fourth quarter and hit the 100 mark with 46 sec left, causing excited spectators to spill out on to the court. After the game, Chamberlain posed for a picture to mark the occasion, holding up a piece of paper with the number ‘100’ written on it.

Philadelphia had won one of the highest-scoring games in NBA history, 169–147. But it was Chamberlain’s numbers that hit the headlines. He took 63 shots from the field, making 36 – the most field goals in an NBA game. He also shot 28 from 32 at the free-throw line, traditionally something of a weakness in his game.

Notable NBA Scoring Performances: Top 5 Highest Points Hauls

Legacy of Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-Point Game

Although Chamberlain continued to put up huge numbers throughout the rest of his career, he never came close to his 100-point game. Then again, neither did anyone else. Chamberlain’s total remains 19 points clear of his nearest rival – even more impressive, given the fact that the three-point line wasn’t introduced to the NBA until 1979.

On 26 Jan 2024, Luka Dončić of the Dallas Mavericks hit the headlines with 73 points against the Atlanta Hawks – he marked the moment by holding up a piece of paper with ‘73’ written on it, paying homage to the famous photograph of Chamberlain after his 100-point game. Of all of the Big Dipper’s NBA records, this is one that might never be equalled.

Amazing, man. #MFFL pic.twitter.com/ioqjYljBmY

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) January 27, 2024