One of the NBA’s biggest mysteries, which, according to the history books, is very real, is Wilt Chamberlain’s supposed 100-point game. Its authenticity has been debated for years, largely due to the lack of concrete evidence in the form of video footage. Some continue to deny it ever happened, while others, like Brian Scalabrine, have come to accept that Chamberlain did hit the century mark, especially after experiencing a relentless offensive display firsthand.
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Chamberlain, one of the greatest centers to ever step onto a basketball court, dropped 100 points while playing for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks in Hershey, PA, on March 2, 1962. But as much as we all want to believe it without an ounce of doubt, there’s no footage—not even a single second—from that game. None whatsoever.
Scalabrine, on the Dan Patrick Show, spoke about how he refused to believe anyone could score 100 in a game. That was until he saw Paul Pierce dismantle the New Jersey Nets during a 2001 regular-season game.
“I saw Paul Pierce when I was playing with the Nets, he had a subpar first half and dropped 48 in the second half in overtime, and I couldn’t believe it,” Scal said. “I didn’t think, like, Wilt Chamberlain, could score 100 points in a game. I thought that’s crazy, and then I saw Pierce score, in the second half, 48 in overtime.”
The fact that the future Boston Celtics star saw someone put up numbers like that convinced him that what the record books say might actually be true. And in all honesty, with that kind of offensive firepower in the NBA during the ’60s, when defense wasn’t exactly at its peak, it’s more than possible that Chamberlain really did have the historic night so many continue to question.
In hindsight, perhaps the most important thing Pierce did for Scal was make him believe that miracles—like a 100-point outing in the NBA—are possible. Maybe if Paul George had witnessed something like that in his career, he, too, would bow down to Chamberlain’s feat.
Paul George isn’t convinced about Chamberlain’s 100-point game
On his Podcast P, the 76ers star was discussing the biggest NBA records ever—and, of course, Wilt came up. When asked if the Warriors legend really did drop 100, George simply responded that he’s never met anyone who claimed they were actually there when history was made.
It was clear that he wasn’t sure. But he still failed to understand why someone would randomly create a “gimmick” like that out of thin air. George acknowledged Chamberlain’s greatness and recognized the fact that he was miles ahead of most players in the league in the 60s. But, there were still concerns.
He looked at the stats and saw the number of shots he took (63), which felt absurd to him. Also, the fact that a 50% career free-throw shooter hit the 87% mark on the night surprised him further. “I don’t know, that’s a lot of shots,” George said. “Because you think about the free throws too, like, he shot 63 times, but 32 free throws, that’s another fifteen shots…. And he played — that’s impressive — all 48 minutes!”
George makes sense. The stat lines do look ridiculous. However, the NBA continues to stand by the fact that it did happen, and the record for the most points scored in a game still stands. No one has come close to hitting triple digits, but in 2006, Kobe Bryant dropped 81. Last year, Joel Embiid dropped 70, and Luka Doncic dropped 73.
Even Damian Lillard, one of the more prolific scoring guards in his prime, claimed that he could’ve scored 100 after he dropped 71 in a game in 2023.
But the difference between the possibilities of dropping 100 and actually doing so is massive. Sure, the league has plenty of scorers who could achieve the goal, but it depends on so many things, and everything has to go right for it to happen. Till that happens, Wilt’s massive record-breaking night will stand alone, even if it does have an asterisk next to it.
