Wilt Chamberlain once shared his bittersweet feelings about his 100-point game - "I’m embarrassed by it"
NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain famously set the league's all-time single-game scoring record with his legendary 100-point performance in the 1960s. However, the late seven-time scoring champion later expressed a bittersweet sentiment regarding how he achieved the milestone.
On March 2, 1962, Chamberlain's then-Philadelphia Warriors dispatched the New York Knicks 169-147 at Hershey Sports Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He tallied 100 points and 25 rebounds, shooting 36-for-63 (57.1%) and 28-for-32 (87.5%) at the free-throw line despite being a notoriously bad free-throw shooter (career 51.1%).
During the fourth quarter, Chamberlain's teammates reportedly made a concerted effort to help him make history, feeding him the ball on nearly every possession. After surpassing his previous NBA scoring record of 78 points, Chamberlain kept piling on baskets in the blowout win over an inferior opponent.
Upon reaching 98 points, Chamberlain reportedly rushed a couple of shots in the final minute. However, his teammate, forward Ted Luckenbill, secured consecutive offensive rebounds, giving him multiple attempts at his 100th point.
"The rebound, Luckenbill. Back to (guard Joe) Ruklick, into Chamberlain. He made it! He made it! He made it! A Dipper dunk! He made it!" WCAU's Bill Campbell said on the lone preserved radio broadcast. "The fans are all over the floor! They stopped the game! People are running out on the court! 100 points for Wilt Chamberlain!"
However, despite the eruption of celebration inside Hershey Sports Arena, Chamberlain later seemed conflicted about his monumental achievement.
The Hall of Famer told Terry Pluto, author of 1994's "Tall Tales: The Glory Years of the NBA," that he achieved the milestone unethically.
"The 100-point game will never be as important to me as it is to some other people. That's because I'm embarrassed by it," Chamberlain said.
"After I got into the 80s, I pushed for 100, and it destroyed the game because I took shots that I normally never would. I was not real fluid. I mean, 63 shots? You take that many shots on the playground, and no one ever wants you on their team again."
Chamberlain added that he "had many better games ..., games where (he) scored 50 to 60 (points) and shot 75%."
Nevertheless, no player has come that close to matching Chamberlain's 100-point scoring mark over the last 62 years. Late LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant ranks second on the NBA's single-game scoring list with 81 points.
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Wilt Chamberlain set NBA's single-season scoring record the year of his 100-point game
After scoring a record-breaking 100 points in a single outing, Wilt Chamberlain averaged a historic 50.4 points per game over 80 contests during the 1961-62 campaign.
Chamberlain remains the only player to average 50-plus ppg in a single season, with no other player averaging over 40 ppg.
Moreover, the 7-foot-1 big man retired with a whopping 122 regular season and playoff outings with 50 or more points. Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan ranks second with 39 such performances, 83 behind Chamberlain.
So, with the NBA's ever-growing talent level, it appears highly unlikely anyone will ever threaten Chamberlain's most noteworthy scoring feats.
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