The Most Points Scored In A Regular Season Game By Tiers: Wilt Chamberlain And Kobe Bryant Are Untouchable

Holding record-breaking scoring stats in a single game is an extraordinary achievement, and only the best players in specific seasons manage to achieve records that have stood the test of time. We have compiled a list of the highest-scoring games in NBA history, where offensive players went ballistic on the court en route to spectacular showings on the state sheet. However, it must be known that only one particular player holds the single greatest scoring record in NBA history. The name is none other than Wilt Chamberlain, the center whose career is filled with a host of unbreakable records since the start of professional basketball. By gathering stats of the greatest scorers in NBA history, we have collected the best offensive performances and separated them into tiers.

Most of these names will be easily recognizable because they are regarded as some of the greatest offensive players to ever play basketball. Of course, it is obvious that Wilt Chamberlain, the most dominant physical specimen in NBA history, will occupy the top tier thanks to his unbelievable performance on March 2, 1962, at Hershey Sports Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania. By taking into account the game’s greatest scorers who have scored at least 63 points in a single game, here are the tiers of the league’s highest-scoring games in NBA history.

Tier 5 – 63+ Points

Joe Fulks – 63 Points

02/10/1949 Philadelphia Warriors vs. Indianapolis Jets

Joe Fulks, a 6’5” forward, set a new professional scoring record with 63 points in the Philadelphia Warriors’ 108-87 victory over the Indianapolis Jets way back in 1949. In the third quarter, Fulks managed to break George Mikan’s then-record of 48 points, which the superstar center set less than two weeks prior. After hoisting up 56 field-goal attempts, Fulks managed to make 27 of them which constituted around 48% shooting. That was a record at the time, along with his ability to go 9-14 from the charity stripe.

It was amazing how Fulks got his points because he scored 30 in the first half thanks to two 15-point quarters. He dropped 19 in the third and ended the fourth with a 14-point outing. He probably could have added another bucket had he not been withdrawn with around a minute left in the game. Amazingly, there weren’t many fans in the stadium, so very few people on Earth got a chance to witness Fulks’ offensive explosion.

Elgin Baylor – 63 Points

12/08/1961 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia Warriors

Baylor’s third-highest scoring performance came in 1961 when he led the Los Angeles Lakers to battle against the Philadelphia Warriors led by superstar Wilt Chamberlain. Wilt dropped 78 points in that game, which set the record for most combined points by two players in the same game (along with Baylor’s 63 points). Wilt Chamberlain is usually involved in most records when it comes to scoring, anyways.

The Lakers eventually came out on top during the game, winning 151-147 after three overtime periods. We will likely never see a duel end up like this again because both stars were absolutely unstoppable on the offensive end. Amazingly, Baylor would find a way to top this performance on two other occasions before his career was over.

Jerry West – 63 Points

01/17/1962 Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks

The Logo, Jerry West, was a true legend of the Los Angeles Lakers and was one of the most admired and respected NBA players in history. Having competed for 14 years in the league and making the All-Star Team every year, the guard achieved tremendous success in his career. But he never had an offensive performance as great as the one he put forth in 1962 against the New York Knicks.

The Hall of Fame shooting guard scored 63 points against the Knicks on January 17, 1962, securing an eight-point victory for him and the Lakers. After a strong rookie campaign, West accomplished the feat at the age of 23 in his sophomore season in the league. His great performance that night would go on to be the best of his career, as it would be his sole 60-point performance.

Wilt Chamberlain – 63 Points

12/14/1962 San Francisco Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers

The dominant center was a force to be reckoned with over his career, and he will continue to appear across multiple Tiers in this article. At the time of the 1962 season, Chamberlain was competing for the San Francisco Warriors and dropped an incredible 63 points on 58.5% shooting from the field.

Using his size and athleticism, he tore apart the Lakers’ defense and even shot 75.0% from the free-throw line, a solid achievement for a very below-average shooter. The center found his groove around the rim, destroying defenses with his power and adding to his points total which sat at 50.4 PPG at the end of the year.

Wilt Chamberlain – 63 Points

11/26/1964 San Francisco Warriors vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Yet again, Wilt appears in this Tier with a monster 63-point showing against the Philadelphia 76ers, terrorizing them with his raw size and power. The superstar center went 27-58 from the field and 9-20 from the free-throw line, using his athleticism and power to his advantage. Standing over 7 feet tall, there was no answer for him.

Chamberlain would finish the season with an average of 36.9 PPG, which marked his 5th straight scoring title in his 5th NBA season. We will never see another player as dominant as Wilt because not even Shaquille O’Neal has these kinds of scoring numbers. Wilt had a knack for tearing apart defenses over the first 7 years of his career, and no matter which team he came up against, it was normally the same result.

George Gervin – 63 Points

04/09/1978 San Antonio Spurs vs. New Orleans Jazz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvOcX7XK9Vc

George “Iceman” Gervin was the old-school version of Kevin Durant because he had a mix of elite skill and athleticism to go along with tremendous length. Standing 6’7” and weighing 180 lbs, Gervin was unstoppable when he got into a rhythm from mid-range and around the basket. On April 9, 1978, Gervin tore apart the Jazz defense.

He shot 23-49 from the field, good for 46.9%, and also went 17-20 from the free-throw line. Gervin’s ability to slice defenses and attack the rim and also create his jumpers from mid-range gave the Spurs an incredible go-to option in the regular-season game against New Orleans. That performance would also mark the highest-scoring game of the Iceman’s career, as his second-highest performance was 55 points.

Elgin Baylor – 64 Points

11/08/1959 Minneapolis Lakers vs. Boston Celtics

The late and great Elgin Baylor managed to drop 64 points in spectacular fashion against the Boston Celtics in a regular-season game in 1959. The superstar forward was exceptional on the court, going 25-47 from the field which was good for 53.2% shooting. Amazingly, that marked the second-highest scoring game from the legendary Laker.

Baylor also chipped in 17 rebounds and 8 assists while going 14-19 from the free-throw line. The superstar forward had every offensive skill in the book, from inside scoring to perimeter prowess. Using his size and athleticism, there was no answer for the Hall of Famer on the part of the Boston Celtics.

Rick Barry – 64 Points

03/26/1974 Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers

Rick Barry did not have the best season in his career in terms of team success during the 1974 season, and he seemingly took out all his frustrations on the Portland Trail Blazers on March 26th. The superstar scorer went ballistic to score 64 points including a 45-point second half. Unsurprisingly, the Warriors won the game 143-120.

Barry was simply on a roll unlike he ever experienced before because his shots were swishing through one after the other. Amazingly, Barry only made 4 free throws and shot a scintillating 66.7% from the floor. That was certainly a night to remember for Warriors fans because they did not have much to cheer about throughout the year.

Michael Jordan – 64 Points

01/16/1993 Chicago Bulls vs. Orlando Magic

In typical Michael Jordan fashion, a 64-point performance was shrugged off because a win did not occur. The superstar shooting guard went ballistic on the Orlando Magic on January 16, 1993, scoring 64 points on a rookie Shaquille O’Neal and the rest of his teammates. Jordan went 27-49 from the field and usurped what Shaq did on the other end (29 points, 24 rebounds).

MJ was simply on a tear, but he still could not do enough to guide the Chicago Bulls team that did not have help from Scottie Pippen or Horace Grant who both scored under 20 points. Jordan’s comments summed up the game, even if it was incredible to witness on the stat sheet:

“The points don’t make a difference to me, Jordan said. It’s just wasted energy in a sense because we didn’t finish the game the way we should have. We just gave away the game. We played good enough, but we just made some dumb plays. When you blow a six-point lead in less than a minute, there is something wrong with that. Getting 64 points doesn’t mean anything when you lose.”

Michael Jordan was disappointed after the Bulls lost against the Magic, and he was very clear about that and how much he cared about his performance if they don’t win a game.

Tier 4 – 65+ Points

Wilt Chamberlain – 65 Points

02/13/1962 Philadelphia Warriors vs. Cincinnati Royals

Somehow, Wilt’s 65-point performance was not enough to guide the Philadelphia Warriors past the Cincinnati Royals in a 152-132 blowout loss. It seems Wilt’s early teams did not have the defensive ability to counter their opponents, because their superstar center was going off from the floor and still could not get over the hump.

Chamberlain went 24-40 from the field and 17-30 from the free-throw line, very solid numbers from a player that scored over 60 points. As expected, this performance came in the record-breaking 1962 season when he dropped 50.4 PPG at the end of the year. Amazingly, the Royals still blew out the Warriors on both ends of the floor.

Wilt Chamberlain – 65 Points

02/27/1962 Philadelphia Warriors vs. St. Louis Hawks

In a 10-point victory against the St. Louis Hawks, Wilt Chamberlain scored 65 points on 25-43 from the field and 15-20 from the foul line to carry his Philadelphia Warriors. The superstar center’s 1962 season was record-breaking in multiple facets, and this was yet another performance that will stand the test of time.

Wilt only missed a few shots from the free-throw line, and still shot over 50% from the field despite taking over 40 shots. There has never been a player with a usage rate like Wilt because he consistently took over 30 shots per game and nobody had a problem with it. Amazingly, this performance won’t be the last in Tier 4.

Wilt Chamberlain – 65 Points

02/07/1966 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers

As a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, Wilt Chamberlain destroyed the defense of his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers. The superstar center dropped 65 points on 28-43 from the field and 9-20 from the free-throw line, guiding his side to a 132-125 victory. This monster performance helped Wilt capture his 7th scoring title by averaging 33.5 PPG at the end of the 1966 season.

Finally, we are at the end of Wilt’s dominance in Tier 4 because he appeared a total of nine times. No player will ever accumulate the number of points that Chamberlain had over his career, and his name will appear in the record books forever. Only one more player appears in Tier 4 with at least 65 points in an NBA game, and his name is Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant – 65 Points

03/16/2007 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUYSSDj_ntg

After the Los Angeles Lakers’ seventh consecutive loss, Kobe Bryant wanted to correct matters and simply had enough. Against the Portland Trail Blazers, he took matters into his own hands and departed the court with the fourth highest-scoring game in franchise history. The superstar shooting guard led the Lakers to a 116-111 victory on March 16, 2007, scoring 24 of his 65 points in the fourth quarter and nine more in overtime. In typical Black Mamba fashion, he wanted to end the opponent in crunch time.

A year after finishing with the league’s scoring title, Bryant went for an astonishing 23-39 from the field, 8-for-12 from 3-point range, and 11-for-12 from the line. Amazingly, the rather-depleted Lakers needed every one of Kobe’s points that night. Those are elite numbers from an all-time great scorer, and hint, Bryant will be appearing in one of the later Tiers by the end of this article.

Wilt Chamberlain – 66 Points

02/09/1969 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns

The only 66-point game in NBA history belongs to Wilt Chamberlain, and he did it in a 134-116 blowout win against the Phoenix Suns. The center played all 48 minutes, going 29-35 from the field and 8-18 from the foul line. It is amazing that the center only missed 6 shots from the field and still came up with 66 points because it might never happen again. Amazingly, Wilt managed this performance when he wasn’t even in his prime anymore.

Chamberlain was 32 years old when he managed the 66-point game, and he finished the season with a solid but unspectacular scoring average of 20.5 PPG. Even as he aged, Wilt was a dominant paint presence because of his soft touch around the rim, and when he was scoring the ball at a high level, the points were accumulated at an unbelievable rate.

Wilt Chamberlain – 67 Points

03/09/1961 Philadelphia Warriors vs. New York Knicks

Wilt also managed 67 points in an outing against the New York Knicks, as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors. The center went 27-37 from the field and 13-17 from the foul line, exceptional numbers from a player who simply could not make foul shots consistently. When he did, he put up historical performances.

Luckily for Wilt and the Philadelphia Warriors, they won the game 135-126. It is rare for a team to lose a game when the best player only misses 10 shots from the field and 4 shots from the foul line and goes for 67 points. That was the case that night, and many nights after for Wilt.

Wilt Chamberlain – 67 Points

02/17/1962 Philadelphia Warriors vs. St. Louis Hawks

Chamberlain also managed 67 points in an outing against the St. Louis Hawks, once again as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors. The Big Dipper went ballistic from the floor, going 26-44 from the floor and 15-20 from the free-throw line, elite numbers from the center. Unfortunately, Chamberlain and the Warriors lost the game 128-121. Strangely, Wilt’s performance was not enough on both ends of the floor.

In only his second NBA season, Wilt finished the year as the leading scorer in the NBA at 38.4 PPG on 50.9% from the field and 50.4% from the free-throw line. The fact that he shot over 50% from the field and 75% from the foul line means Wilt managed to usurp his season averages in efficiency during the game as well.

Wilt Chamberlain – 67 Points

02/25/1962 Philadelphia Warriors vs. New York Knicks

In a 149-135 victory, Wilt Chamberlain dropped 67 points on 25-38 from the field and 17-22 from the foul line. The big man played in every minute, completely terrorizing the New York Knicks on the court with his size and scoring touch around the rim. A dominant paint scorer, Chamberlain had a knack for getting the job done against his opponents.

Of course, his 67-point performance against the Knicks came in the 1962 season when the center finished with his third-straight scoring title by averaging 50.4 PPG. The superstar center was not known for making free throws at all, but he managed to go an impressive 77.2% from the line, very solid numbers from the Warriors star.

Wilt Chamberlain – 67 Points

01/11/1963 San Francisco Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers

In his fourth NBA season, Wilt Chamberlain dropped 67 points on 28-47 from the field and 11-17 from the free-throw line, although it was not enough to guide his San Francisco Warriors team to a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Even if Wilt took a loss, his scoring output was added to the record books, something he normally owns.

The game finished 134-129, a typical high-scoring game from arguably the most impactful center who ever lived. It is amazing how many times Wilt put up scoring performances with at least 65 points and still lost because he and his team could not defend well enough to make those big-time performances count at the end.

Wilt Chamberlain – 68 Points

12/16/1967 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Chicago Bulls

Wilt Chamberlain will appear in this Tier a whopping nine times because he is the most dominant NBA superstar we have ever seen. Standing 7’1” and weighing over 270 lbs, Chamberlain was unlike anyone we saw in sports in terms of physical impact. Of course, we had Shaquille O’Neal long after Wilt, but even he could not put up the type of numbers that The Big Dipper was putting up.

He dropped 68 points against the Chicago Bulls when he was a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, going 30-40 from the field and only 8-22 from the line. Had he made more free throws, Chamberlain could have easily eclipsed 70 points but that is why Mother Nature exists, to prevent perfection from occurring.

Pete Maravich – 68 Points

02/25/1977 New Orleans Jazz vs. New York Knicks

Superstar guard Pete Maravich was on fire on Feb. 25, 1977, scoring 68 points in a 124-107 Jazz victory over the New York Knicks. The late Hall of Famer shot 26-43 from the field overall and went 16-for-18 on free throws before the 3-point line was even invented. Maravich led the NBA in scoring that season, averaging 31.1 PPG, and it would have been a lot more had he gotten the 3-point boost that started in Maravich’s first season. Interestingly, Maravich had a host of excellent scoring performances during the year.

During the 1977 season, Maravich had thirteen games with 40 or more points, as well as three games with 50 or more points. Thanks to his blistering performance in February of 1977, Pete also joins an exclusive group of seven NBA players who have scored 68 points or more in a single game. “Pistol” Pete was simply a one-of-a-kind offensive player and we were all robbed by injuries that cut his career short.

Michael Jordan – 69 Points

03/28/1990 Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

In one of his eight seasons putting up over 30 PPG, Michael Jordan dropped 69 points on 62.2% shooting from the field in 1990. This was the same season that MJ came close to winning his first NBA championship, but he ran into the “Bad Boy” Pistons. Still, Jordan averaged 32.5 PPG during the year and was the undisputed best player in the world at the time. The shooting guard’s 69-point game ended up becoming his career-high.

MJ also chipped in 18 rebounds in a sensational performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 28, 1990, capping off the best individual game of his career. The Bulls’ superstar was exceptional on the court, and his scoring output ranks among NBA lore as one of the best we have seen.

Tier 3 – 70+ Points

Wilt Chamberlain – 70 Points

03/10/1963 San Francisco Warriors vs. Syracuse Nationals

Yet another scoring achievement for Wilt Chamberlain, as the big man posted 70 points on 27-38 shooting from the field in his 4th season. The Big Dipper was absolutely dominant, posting monster numbers from the field and consistently owning the paint against any defender. Wilt will appear in other Tiers, an indication of how dominant the center was during the first few seasons of his career.

Standing 7’1” and weighing 275 lbs, Chamberlain immediately made his mark on the league after getting drafted No. 3 overall in the 1959 NBA Draft. The legendary center managed to drop at least 70 points on six different occasions, and his 70-point game on March 10, 1963, appears in Tier 3. Of course, during the year, Wilt finished the season with an unbelievable scoring average of 44.8 PPG on 52.8% shooting from the field.

Devin Booker – 70 Points

03/24/2017 Phoenix Suns vs. Boston Celtics

One of the more unlikely members of the 70-point club, Devin Booker shocked the NBA world when he went off for 70 points on 21-40 shooting in a 130-120 loss on March 24, 2017. At only 20 years old, nobody expected Booker to go off like he did and that has to be the most impressive game of his career so far. While the young shooting guard will probably take the NBA Finals appearance over his 70-point game as his brightest moment, the game on March 24th was certainly impressive.

Booker is still only 25 years old and has plenty of basketball left to play in his career. The shooting guard has a great squad around him and will only improve his game as the years go by. While he might never break the 70-point mark again, his performance will go down in the history books even if he lost the game in the end.

Elgin Baylor – 71 Points

11/15/1960 Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks

One of the greatest small forwards ever and a player who never won an NBA championship, Elgin Baylor was a dominant scorer in his prime. During the 1960 season which was the second year Baylor was in the league, he managed a 71-point game on 28-48 shooting from the field while also chipping in 25 rebounds. An exceptional athlete around the rim, Baylor had a knack for getting easy shots at the basket as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Baylor finished the season with an average of 29.6 PPG, and his 71-point game certainly boosted his scoring stats by the end of the season. The superstar forward showcased a mix of his skills during the game on November 15, 1960, making jumpers, finishing inside, and also drawing fouls by going 15-19 from the line. This game also marked the highest-scoring performance by Baylor in his career.

David Robinson – 71 Points

04/24/1994 San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Clippers

One of the all-time great big men, David Robinson was mainly known for his incredible shot-blocking, defense, and leadership on and off the court. But he was a superstar on the offensive end, dropping 71 points in an NBA game on April 24, 1994, against the Los Angeles Clippers while going 26-41 from the field and 18-25 from the free-throw line. Robinson, standing 7’1” and weighing 235 lbs with a well-built physique, found it incredibly easy to score around the rim and generate points easily.

The Admiral won the scoring title in the 1994 season by dropping 29.8 PPG on 50.7% shooting from the field and had a 71-point game during the year which boosted his average. The superstar center managed to break the Spurs’ franchise record for most points in a single game, and he did it at an incredibly efficient rate considering the Clippers’ defense was out to stop him. It did not work and Robinson finds himself in Tier 3 as a result.

Wilt Chamberlain – 72 Points

11/03/1962 San Francisco Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers

The Big Dipper appears in Tier 3 again, and he dropped 72 points during the 1962 season on November 3, 1962, in a showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers. The center went 29-48 from the field and 14-18 from the free-throw line, taking over the contest that resulted in Chamberlain’s San Francisco Warriors losing to the Lakers 127-115. The Lakers managed to outscore Wilt with two players, as Jerry West and Elgin Baylor combined for 79 points to lift their side over a dominant Warriors offense. As expected, Chamberlain did not have much help with him taking most of the shots, and no other Warriors player scored more than 15 points in the game.

Putting up dominant scoring performances became the norm during the early part of Chamberlain’s career, as the 1962-63 Warriors would finish the season just 31-49 despite the Hall of Fame center averaging 44.8 PPG. Still, managing four separate games of at least 70 points scored in a single season is an incredible achievement, even if Wilt was losing games.

Wilt Chamberlain – 73 Points

01/13/1962 Philadelphia Warriors vs. Chicago Packers

In the same season when the big man posted 72 points, Wilt scored 73 points in a terrific performance against the Chicago Packers. Going 29-of-48 from the field (60.4 %), Wilt Chamberlain controlled the game with his 73 points and 36 rebounds in a 135-117 victory. Despite employing a high usage rate by putting up those kinds of numbers by playing every minute of the game, the superstar center interestingly went out and scored 62 points the very next night against Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics.

Wilt’s 73-point performance came during the 1962 season, the same year when Wilt averaged 50.4 PPG and shattered the record in that sense. Seeing a single player generate points as easily as Wilt did was certainly the largest talking point of the 1962 season, as the center won his 3rd straight scoring title in only his 3rd NBA season.

Wilt Chamberlain – 73 Points

11/16/1962 San Francisco Warriors vs. New York Knicks

On November 16, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain dropped an impressive 73 points in another monster performance of his lifetime. Amazingly, out of the eleven games where at least 70 points were scored, three games were completed against the Knicks. Two of them is held by Wilt Chamberlain, the first being the 78-point game and the second being the 73-point game. In the same season when Wilt dropped 50.4 PPG at the end of the year, Chamberlain dismantled the Knicks’ defense singlehandedly.

Chamberlain finished 29-of-43 from the field which is good for 67.4%, and even went 15-of-19 from the line (78.9%), a good mark considering his success rate on free throws for the year was only 59.3%. The Knicks were not a great team during the year, a reason why Wilt’s 73-point game is not mentioned among the best performance of all time despite the fact it ranks 4th all-time in most points scored in a single game by a player.

David Thompson – 73 Points

04/09/1978 Denver Nuggets vs. Detroit Pistons

Before the final game of the 1977-78 NBA season, the NBA scoring title was on the line between David Thompson and George Gervin. Thompson needed a massive game to pass George Gervin of the San Antonio Spurs because San Antonio’s superstar scorer was obviously going to go off from the field to capture his first scoring title. Thompson would respond, scoring 32 points in the first quarter and continuing his hot streak in the second half.

Thompson finished the game with 73 points, a record for guards at the time. The superstar player for the Denver Nuggets nailed 73.7% of his shots, despite being double and triple-teamed throughout the game. It was simply one of those games where a player couldn’t miss, and his 73-point performance was still not enough to win the scoring title as George Gervin scored 63 later that night, winning the title by just four points. In arguably the most intense scoring race of all time, Thomspon might have some form of a “last laugh” as his scoring performance is the 4th highest in NBA history by a single player.

Wilt Chamberlain – 78 Points

12/08/1961 Philadelphia Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Wilt Chamberlain not only holds multiple records for highest-scoring seasons, but he appears multiple times across multiple Tiers in this article. His scoring record during the first 7 seasons of his career is simply unbelievable because we have not seen anything like The Big Dipper in terms of physical dominance in his prime. In his second NBA season, Chamberlain dropped 78 points on 50.0% shooting from the field as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors.

As if that wasn’t enough, Wilt managed to pull down 43 rebounds in the game and also went 31-62 from the field and 16-31 from the free-throw line. This type of usage and production is not seen in the modern NBA, especially because teamwork and passing are the core of offensive game plans. Wilt had no issue carrying the offense, and his 78-point game is the third-highest in NBA history.

Tier 2 – 80+ Points

Kobe Bryant – 81 Points

01/22/2006 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Toronto Raptors

Kobe Bryant has the record for the second-highest scoring output in NBA history, scoring 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006. In typical Kobe Bryant fashion, the shooting guard took the most shots in the game and had no conscious by going 28-46 from the field including 7-13 from three and 18-20 from the free-throw line. The Los Angeles Lakers were struggling in the encounter with the Raptors squad led by Chris Bosh, and Bryant’s offense was needed as they were on their way to losing the game.

But Kobe’s offense sparked a massive run that saw them take the lead in the fourth quarter despite trailing by 14 points in the first half. In some ways, Bryant’s 81-point game is considered the greatest offensive explosion ever because the shooting guard was forced to create his own shots, mainly from the perimeter, and his team needed every one of the points that he scored. Unfortunately for Kobe and the Lakers at the time, the roster was devoid of any real talent as the franchise was still transitioning after the departure of Shaquille O’Neal.

Perhaps even more shocking, was Kobe Bryant’s admission that this type of game was not expected due to a nagging knee injury:

“In the layup line I felt terrible,” Bryant said. “Aww man, my knee was really sore and really stiff. I felt like I was going to have to utilize my jump shot to start the game until my knee loosened up a bit if it did. I was able to tip-toe to the basket a little bit then my knee loosened up and I was able to get into a groove.”

Only Wilt Chamberlain had a higher-scoring game than the Black Mamba, and he happens to be the only man in Tier 1. Even if Bryant is second in Tier 2 with the second-highest scoring game in NBA history, his performance could be considered more impressive than Wilt’s because of how he had to accumulate his points without much help from his teammates.

Tier 1 – 100 Points

Wilt Chamberlain – 100 Points

03/02/1962 Philadelphia Warriors vs. New York Knicks

Wilt Chamberlain’s name is on most records because he is the single most dominant superstar in NBA history. The late Hall of Famer played in an era where he was the single most dominant player on a physical level, destroying defenses with his size, strength, and length. Whatever little tape we have from the 1960s, it can be clearly seen how much Wilt stood out due to his size and athleticism.

Simply, Chamberlain was faster, stronger, taller, and longer than any other player in the league during his prime. At 7’1” and 275 lbs, there was no stopping Chamberlain from grabbing scoring bucket after bucket during the Philadelphia Warriors vs. New York Knicks regular-season showdown. Wilt dropped 100 points in the game and also broke some other records during the performance including the most free throws made which is shocking considering the big man was such a poor free-throw shooter. Adrian Dantley managed to equal that record on January 4, 1984, as a member of the Utah Jazz.

Thanks to Wilt’s 100-point performance and other offensive explosions during the 1962 season, the big man finished with a season average of 50.4 PPG which is still the highest in NBA history. It is likely we will never see another player score 100 points in a single game because the type of athletes in today’s game are undeniably talented and will match each other in terms of size and length. The days of having a single dominant physical force seem to be over, for now. 

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