SN 140 Moments: No. 14 – Wilt Chamberlain explodes for 100 points to shatter NBA record originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Only 4,124 people saw one of the greatest individual performances in NBA history. You had to be in the gym in Hershey Penn., on March 2, 1962, to watch Wilt Chamberlain set the single-season scoring record that still stands today, because the game was never broadcast on television.
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Chamberlain entered the night averaging a record 50.4 points per game. His performance in Hershey transcended even his own dominance. He was unstoppable in the paint. Despite being a notoriously poor free-throw shooter, the 7-foot-1 center hit 28 of 32 from the stripe. By the fourth quarter, the game devolved into a farce. The Knicks began fouling other Warriors to keep the ball away from Wilt, while Philadelphia fouled the Knicks back to regain possessions.
Chamberlain eventually got his 100 points with 46 seconds to spare. The Warriors got the win and Wilt etched his place in the history books. The night was documented only by a few grainy photos, including one of The Big Dipper holding up a piece of paper with the number 100 scrawled onto it. He never came within 20 points of that total in his career.
MORE: Back to The Sporting News’ 140 Greatest Sports Moments of All Time