For decades, this controversial debate has raged within NBA circles: Did Wilt Chamberlain really score 100 points in a single game? Some firmly believe that the larger-than-life center accomplished it during the Philadelphia Warriors’ 169–147 victory over the New York Knicks on the night of March 2, 1962. Others, however, have treated the story as a basketball myth.
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Enter Bam Adebayo, whose special act on Tuesday night might force the skeptics of Wilt’s epic game to reconsider their stance. Adebayo created history by scoring 83 in a single game and passing Kobe Bryant’s 81. He is now #2 in the list of players with the most points in a single game, behind Chamberlain, of course.
Then again, many refuse to give credence to Chamberlain’s record-setting moment simply because there’s absolutely no footage from that game. However, after watching Adebayo drop 83 in 4K, Tyrese Haliburton, for one, is convinced that what Chamberlain did was real.
On a stream, the injured Indiana Pacers star admitted, “Wilt Chamberlain 100… I ain’t know if I believed it… But after what I watched yesterday… Wilt had 100.“
“Wilt Chamberlain 100… I ain’t know if I believed it… but after what I watched yesterday… Wilt had 100”https://t.co/4RaDC2ieJy pic.twitter.com/sbx81AIybP
— HaliMuse (@HaliMuse) March 12, 2026
Haliburton, like many, was in utter disbelief watching what Adebayo did. There were those claiming it was stat-padding. After all, the Miami Heat were playing a Washington Wizards side with its mind set on tanking. Some kept pointing at the number of free throws Adebayo took, a whopping 43.
The truth, however, cannot be changed. It was a historic night that warrants celebration, just like Bryant’s 81 against the Toronto Raptors in January 2006.
There’s no footage of Chamberlain’s monstrous 100-point night. However, it has to be taken into account that in the 1960s, not every game was televised. Chamberlain’s Philadelphia Warriors took on the Knicks that evening in Hershey, PA. No one predicted anything special, considering both teams were mediocre.
If Adebayo’s performance were held in the 1960s, it’s almost certain that it would not have been broadcast. So, the safest conclusion to make would be that Chamberlain did score 100. Why can we be so certain? Because we just saw Adebayo’s 83.
