Wilt Chamberlain Scored 100 Points in an NBA Game 50 Years Ago Today

NBA

Wilt Chamberlain Scored 100 Points in an NBA Game 50 Years Ago Today

By Jason McIntyre March 2, 2012 9:59 am ET Follow @thebiglead

By: Jason McIntyre | March 2, 2012 9:59 am ET Follow @thebiglead

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.

Athletes and Celebrities, Miscellany, NBA, Athletes and Celebrities, Miscellany, NBA

Comments

http://mjand212theafiles.blogspot.com/ reggie_dunlap

And he went on to bang 100 girls after. First basketball player in the double triple club.
johndewar

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
http://twitter.com/#!/claytoncargill Clayton Cargill

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.
http://twitter.com/#!/JHScramble Jim Harbaugh Scramble

/Wilt >>>>> Russell

Bill Simmon’s head just exploded.
johndewar

Philadelphia public-address announcer Dave Zinkoff

Legend
johndewar

/Wilt >>>>> Russell

Bill Simmon’s head just exploded.

If you’re comparing individual players, the arguments about Russell being a better player bear a close resemblance to bullshit.
http://twitter.com/#!/JHScramble Jim Harbaugh Scramble

If you’re comparing individual players, the arguments about Russell being a better player bear a close resemblance to bullshit.

Except in Simmons world where Russell is the GOAT.
Breesus

Virtually no one saw it. No TV cameras were there

So how do we know it really happened?

/Obama killed Breitbart
http://twitter.com/#!/claytoncargill Clayton Cargill

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?
http://mjand212theafiles.blogspot.com/ reggie_dunlap

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
http://i.imgur.com/6mQjo.gif VladimirCrouton

/Obama killed Breitbart

Gary Webb and Vince Foster agree.
http://i.imgur.com/6mQjo.gif VladimirCrouton

Russell won the most championships because he played with other great players. Individually…not even close.

Kinda like Wayne Gretzky.
http://www.sportsherniablog.com Tim Ryan

In the same season, he averaged 50-25 and didn’t win MVP.

So ridiculously ridiculous.
http://twitter.com/ButtersBC ButtersBC

No TV cameras were there

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
Jay V Of Considerable Influence

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.
http://twitter.com/mantis915 phillymantis915

I believe the Sixers are giving away pieces of the court from Hershey where Wilt got the 100 points tonight as a giveaway.
http://twitter.com/atlbadger H.E. Pennypacker

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.
QueeferSutherland

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.
http://twitter.com/jaykidd13 José Ovechkin

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.
http://twitter.com/#!/claytoncargill Clayton Cargill

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.
http://tunagolf.wordpress.com illformula

what did the black mamba drop a few years back, 81? that’s more impressive, IMO.
KingGrizz

Wilt is one of the few basketball players that could transcend eras. Oscar, Russel, Wilt, Lanier — those dudes were beasts.
http://twitter.com/#!/claytoncargill Clayton Cargill

Oscar Robertson averaged a triple double for his career and only won one MVP.

for a season, not for his career.
http://twitter.com/ButtersBC ButtersBC

Oscar Robertson averaged a triple double for his career

No he didn’t

what did the black mamba drop a few years back, 81? that’s more impressive, IMO.

The three-point shot existing helped Kobe so it’s tough to say which was more difficult
scripty

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.