Unfortunately, the NBA has never released a lifetime total of how many games Wilt surpassed 20 points and 20 rebounds, but it is thought to be more than 500. He did play in at least one game per year from 1955-1975 except for 1957-58 when he was out with an injury. During that time period, the only other player to do so is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with four.
Chamberlain's incredible talent was on full display during his first season in the league when he averaged 50 points and 25 rebounds per game. In fact, no other player has ever matched that scoring output while pulling down more than 10 rebounds a game.
However, what makes Chamberlain unique is his inclusion of blocks into his overall stat line. He was extremely effective at blocking shots - averaging 2.4 per game - and ranked second behind Moses Malone (who had two years removed from high school) among players who played at least 1,000 minutes in the NBA. Only Karl Malone has blocked more shots since then (and he's still not close).
In addition to being one of only three players to score 100 points in a game (the others are Jerry West and LeBron James), Wilt Chamberlain is also one of only three players to score 200 points in a season (the other is Charles Barkley).
The Philadelphia native began experimenting with a more extreme method as a youngster at Overbrook High. Mel Brodsky, Wilt's high school classmate, recounted this week that when "messing around" before or after practice, Wilt would get a running start, take off from the free-throw line, and slam the ball.
Chamberlain was a member of the NBA All-Star team 13 times throughout his 14-year career (he missed one year due to injury). In his career, he averaged 30 points and 22 rebounds a game and won the scoring title seven times. He also owns the record for most points in a game, with 100 on March 2, 1962, in a 169-147 victory over the New York Knicks.
He is well-known for his court abilities, 7'1" size, and statistical accomplishments during his career. Wilt Chamberlain's various monikers include Wilt the Stilt, the Big Dipper, and Chairman of the Boards. Wilt Chamberlain is the only NBA player to have scored 100 points in a single game. He also holds the record for most points in a single playoff game with 49.
Chamberlain was born on January 4th, 1936 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He played high school basketball for James McCall High School in Chicago, Illinois. There he met his future coach Jim Dolan who would later become the president of the New York Knicks.
In 1955-56, while playing for the University of Kansas, Chamberlain averaged 50.0 points per game (3rd in NCAA history), which is considered among the best scores ever recorded in college basketball. After one season at Kansas, where he was named first team All-American by both The Associated Press and United States Basketball Coaches Association (USBWA), he entered the 1956 NBA draft. No other player has ever scored more than Chamberlain's 12,074 career points until Wilt's brother Karl came along in 1958.
Chamberlain immediately became one of the most popular players in NBA history. He helped lead the Philadelphia Warriors to their first championship in 1957, then went on to win another title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1960.
And he owns the record for most points scored in his debut NBA game, 43 against the New York Knicks on October 24, 1959. Didn't Wilt do some terrible things to the Knicks? He broke several records including most points in a single game, most rebounds in a single game, and most points in a single season (in two different seasons). Surely someone wouldn't set those records again, would they? Nope, that's why we have statistics.
Chamberlain also holds several other records, such as most points in a single postseason game (56), most points in an NBA playoff game (38), and most points in a single Finals game (31). He definitely was a phenomenon in his time.
After playing only five games over two seasons because of military service, Chamberlain returned in 1960 and played in 82 games that year, scoring more than 50 points seven times. He ended up winning the MVP award that season.
Chamberlain had another great season in 1961-62 when he averaged almost 100 points per game with 10 or more points in every game he played in. He also managed to get himself into some trouble by getting arrested for assault and battery after a basketball game in Philadelphia. The charges were dropped after one witness failed to show up in court.
The Warriors of Philadelphia Wilt Chamberlain established the NBA single-game scoring record with 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a 169-147 win over the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962, at Hershey Sports Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The previous record was 99 points, which had been set by Chamberlain's teammate John Havlicek with the Boston Celtics in 1959.
Chamberlain was drafted by the Warriors out of Wichita State University. He only played two seasons for them before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Howard Porter and Doug Moe. There, he helped lead the Lakers to their first championship title in 1960. After playing one more season with the Lakers, he announced his retirement after 19 years in the NBA. During his career, he averaged almost 50 minutes per game, shot nearly 60 percent from the field, and brought in the ball every time down court!
When asked about breaking the record, Chamberlain said, "It means nothing. It's not why I came here tonight." However, later in the press conference, he did say he would have liked to have won a championship with all of his records still intact.
Team name meaning: "Warrior" In honor of Chamberlain's ability to fight through injuries that kept other players off the floor. Chamberlain suffered from headaches all his life due to a congenital deformity of the brain called a bifid ponticle.
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