The all-time greatest is Chamberlain. In the areas of scoring, rebounding, and durability, he holds multiple NBA regular season records. During his career, blocks were not taken into account. In addition to being chosen for the NBA’s 35th, 50th, and 75th anniversary teams, he was inducted into the Memorial Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. He was once the league president as well, and for his accomplishments, he is honoured in the IVA Hall of Fame. He appeared in the 1984 film Conan the Destroyer and was known for his power as well.
As the only NBA player to score 100 points in a single game, Chamberlain is best known for that accomplishment. He is the only player to ever average 50 points per game or grab 55 rebounds in a single contest. In addition, Chamberlain set records for never fouling out of a game and becoming the only player in NBA history to seven times average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game throughout a season.
Although he was unaware of it at the time, Chamberlain’s NBA career would end after the 1972–73 season. The Lakers lost substance in his final season as a result of Happy Hairston’s injury, Robinson and LeRoy Ellis’ departure, and the seasoned West’s injury struggles. Chamberlain won the rebounding title for the 11th time in his career with an average of 13.2 points and 18.6 rebounds. He also shot an NBA record-breaking 0.727 for the season, surpassing his previous high of 0.683 from the 1966–1967 campaign. Chamberlain was the league leader in field goal percentage for the sixth time.
Rebounds Details
- Average of most rebounds per game
- Most rebounds: 27.2 by Wilt Chamberlain, 1960–196
- Wilt Chamberlain, 1960–1961, 2,149
Chamberlain would win his second MVP award as the Sixers finished the regular season with a 55-25 record. In that season, Chamberlain once again outclassed his rivals, dominating the league in both categories with 33.5 points and 24.6 rebounds per game. Gus Johnson of the Baltimore Bullets attempted to slam the ball, but Chamberlain blocked the shot so forcefully that Johnson’s shoulder was dislocated.
Schayes pleaded with Chamberlain to at least show up and shoot a few foul shots with the squad, but Chamberlain claimed he was too exhausted to go. Boston won 114-108 in Game 4. Chamberlain missed practice and was unavailable before Game 5. Due to his shift in playing style, Chamberlain has been less dominant, taking only 14% of the team’s shots (compared to 35.3% in his season of 50.4 points per game), but he was also incredibly efficient, averaging a career-low 24.1 points. He also had a record-breaking.683 field goal accuracy, was third in assists (7.8), led the league in rebounding (24.2), and was a solid defender.
Chamberlain had a difficult and frequently discouraging season. He was benched multiple times by Van Breda Kolff, something that had never happened in his career before. In the middle of the season, Chamberlain, a recurring scoring champion, had two games where he scored just six and then two points.
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