The NBA has had countless players, who in their prime, could not be stopped. From the early NBA dominance of Wilt Chamberlain, to the unstoppable mid-range jump shot of Michael Jordan, to the powerful post moves by Shaquille O’Neal, and finally to the current day destruction caused by LeBron James’ driving abilities. But truly nobody in NBA history has come close to the absolute dominance that Wilt Chamberlain portrayed.
Believed myths about Wilt Chamberlain:
One myth that people believe is that Wilt Chamberlain was playing against people who were not near the size of Wilt himself. Wilt Chamberlain was 7’1 and during his career he played against twenty-five different players who were at the height or over the height of 6’10 with seven of those players being 7’0 or taller (Smith). Another myth people often believe is “Bill Russell shut down Wilt Chamberlain” but this could not be further from the truth. According to Philadelphia 76ers stat man Harvey Pollack, Chamberlain and Russell played head-to-head a total of 142 times. In those matchups, Wilt averaged 28.7 PPG and 28.7 RPG. Russell, on the other hand, averaged 23.7 PPG, and 14.5 RPG. Also in one game Wilt Chamberlain scored 62 points against his “Weakness” Bill Russell and he scored more than 50 points against him in six other games (Smith).
Wilt Chamberlains most impressive NBA records:
Scored 100 points in a single game (Second most is 81 points scored by Kobe Bryant)
Averaged 50.4 PPG in a NBA season. (Second highest is 44.83 PPG by Wilt Chamberlain)
Scored 50 or more points in seven straight games (Second most is six by Wilt Chamberlain)
Scored 118 career 50 point games (Second most is 31 by Michael Jordan)
Scored 271 career 40 point games (Second most is 173 by Michael Jordan)
Scored 40 or more points in 14 straight games (Second most is 14 by Wilt Chamberlain)
Scored 30 or more points in 65 straight games (Second most is 31 by Wilt Chamberlain)
Scored 20 or more points in 126 straight games (Second most is 92 by Wilt Chamberlain)
Scored 4,029 points in a season (Second most is 3,586 points by Wilt Chamberlain)
Grabbed 23,924 career rebounds (Second most is 21,620 by Bill Russell)
Averaged 22.89 RPG in his career (Second most is 22.45 RPG by Bill Russell)
Grabbed 55 rebounds in one game (Second most is 51 by Bill Russell)
Averaged 45.8 MPG in a season (Second most is 42.29 MPG by Bill Russell)
Averaged 37.6 PPG as a rookie (Second most is 31.6 PPG by Walt Bellamy)
Recorded a triple double with 22 points, 25 rebounds, and 21 assists (No one else has ever done this)
Other statistics that show Chamberlain’s dominance:
Was the NBA assists leader in 1967-68 season (As a center!)
Won MVP as a rookie
Only fouled out of one game in his NBA career
Was 7’1 and weighed 300-310 pounds but ran a 4.4 second 40 yard dash (Fastest 40 yard dash in NFL history was recorded by RB Chris Johnson at 4.24 seconds)
Unofficially recorded 26 blocks against the Detroit Pistons in one game
News archives, and game films revealed Chamberlain averaged 8.8 BPG in 112 of his 1305 career games
Wilt Chamberlain’s many records and amazing statistical accomplishments are absolutely flabbergasting. He was of course unstoppable when it came to scoring, but he was also, statistically speaking, the greatest passing center in NBA history. He was also one of the best, if not the best, defensive anchor the NBA has ever seen. He truly is the most unstoppable and purely dominate player in NBA history.
Smith, Steve. “Greatness Revisited: Why Wilt Chamberlain Was The Greatest NBA Player Ever”. bleacherreprt. 26 Feb. 2009. Web. 26 Jun. 2016
