“Wilt Chamberlain holds many records that are unbreakable, Shaq came close to breaking this one”: Lakers, Warriors and Sixers legend holds an ignominous, unbreakable NBA record

Akash Murty | 30/11/2021
"Wilt Chamberlain holds many records that are unbreakable, Shaq came close to breaking this one": Lakers, Warriors and Sixers legend holds an ignominous, unbreakable NBA record

“Records are meant to be broken” is a popular saying but many records by Wilt “the Stilt” Chamberlain are unbreakable. But there is a record that the big man might not have been proud of.

Going down NBA record books you’ll find many Wilt Chamberlain records that seem unbreakable because of his consistency and unmatched dominance throughout his career.

Scoring 30 points a game for a record 65 games straight, having most 50 points games, having the most points in a single game, averaging over 50 points a season, you name most insane record, the name under it will be Wilt Chamberlain.

The guy even averaged 48.5 minutes in an entire season. A basketball game has legit 48 minutes and overtime if it’s a draw. So you must believe that freak of nature played every minute of Philadelphia Warriors’ 61-62 season. His career minutes per game on the court is also an NBA record.

Also read: Mikal Bridges explains his Suns star’s secret for All-NBA contention at age 36 and year 17

Each one of those is quite impossible to reach but there’s another record that could have been broken by the Diesel, but still lives.

Wilt Chamberlain has a record of missed free throws that will never be broken

Wilt Chamberlain averages the second-most points in NBA history just behind Michael Jordan. He could easily have been the top in that category as well if he shot better from the charity stripe.

In his 15 year NBA career he went to the free-throw line 11,862 times and 5,805 times he came away unsuccessful. That’s a staggering 5.55 points per game he missed out on. He came up with different ways to shoot the rock but never succeeded.

Only Shaquille O’Neal came close to this record, making only 5,317 out of 11,252 times he went to the foul line.

The two most dominant forces in the NBA have always been criticized for their bad shooting, but they still have got over 5000 points because of their commitment to take the contact.

Even if they missed around half of their attempted free throws they are both top-25 in free throws made. Imagine what would they be if they even shot over 70% FTs. Both of them might have had a few more titles for the starters.

Also read: How the Warriors superstar trumped LeBron James and Kevin Durant as being the best on/off player for a decade

If you notice the top 25 players with the most missed free throws, 21 players are either already in the basketball Hall of Fame or are bound to be in it after they retire. Most of them are top-20 All-time scoring leaders as well. They missed much more than others because they went to the line more often than others.  

Post Edited By: Amulya Shekhar
Shaquille O'Neal Wilt Chamberlain

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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