“Wilt Chamberlain couldn’t average 50 points game again; once in a lifetime season”: Bill Russell believed the Lakers legend wouldn’t be able to sustain his otherworldly scoring

Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50 points in the 1962 NBA season and Bill Russell once said that he doesn’t believe Wilt could do it multiple seasons. 

Perhaps the greatest individual rivalry the NBA has ever seen is Wilt Chamberlain vs Bill Russell; a rivalry that ended with the latter winning 11 championships and Wilt winning merely two. The two things teams in the NBA are made of for the most part are individual talent and teamwork. 

Wilt Chamberlain embodied the former of those two things, doing everything from grabbing 55 rebounds in a game to scoring 73 points and then 100 points against the New York Knicks in the same season. Chamberlain was motivated by individual success and stats.

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Bill Russell was on the flip side of this coin, sacrificing individual stats (his numbers were still incredible) for the sake of the Boston Celtics’ success. He played the part of lockdown defender in the paint, erasing any mistakes made by his perimeter guys, while also being the Celtics’ engine on fast breaks. 

The moment Wilt Chamberlain realized that the way Russell played was more suited towards winning was the moment his 76ers won a championship in ‘67 with Wilt averaging nearly 8 assists a game, the highest mark of his career. 

Wilt Chamberlain couldn’t average 50 points over the course of multiple seasons, according to Bill Russell. 

Of course, before Wilt Chamberlain realized he had to get his teammates involved and keep them happy, he was a force of nature in the scoring department. His iconic 1962 season saw him have his 100 point game while averaging 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds. 

Bill Russell however, walked away with the MVP this season as his Boston Celtics dominated the Eastern Conference. The MVP going to Russell further proved that team success is perhaps the biggest factor in winning league MVP honors.

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When asked about Wilt dropping 50 every other night in ‘62, Russell boldly stated to Bill Simmons that that was a ‘once in a lifetime’ achievement for the ‘Big Dipper’.

Sure enough, as time went on, both age and wisdom caught up to Chamberlain as he took less shots and got his teammates more touches. The first championship he ever one saw him average merely 24.1 points in the regular season. 

While Wilt Chamberlain could’ve perhaps gotten another season with a 50 point average (‘63 season saw him put up 44 points a night), this would’ve ensured he never won a title in his career.