Basketball is a sport with some of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen. The history of this game is rich, and we have witnessed many talented players come and go over the years. During their careers, several legendary players have set the standard for the future generations and left behind some incredible records that may truly never be broken. Here is a look into some of the most notable records in NBA history, and the factors surrounding them.
NBA Records That Will Never Be Broken
LeBron James’ Many Records
It’s likely that there is no one in the world that has not heard of LeBron James. In addition to being one of the most famous players of all time, he is also one of the most talented and successful players we’ve ever seen. Currently, with the Los Angeles Lakers, his presence puts the Lakers at odds of +280 in the NBA Championship Futures, and almost a sure thing to win the Western Conference. Although the Lakers have a stacked team this year, LeBron is arguably the best player.
Thanks to his incredible skill and a lengthy career, LeBron holds many records, including numerous “youngest player to” type achievements. LeBron is the youngest player to ever be drafted #1 overall, at the age of only 18. While many athletes go through college sports before making it into major league sports, LeBron’s skills allowed him to forgo the usual path. He was also the youngest player to ever receive the award for NBA Rookie of the Year.
Longest Winning Streak, Los Angeles Lakers 1971-72
For 33 games over 65 days, the Lakers pressed on without a loss. This is the longest streak in the NBA’s 70 plus year history. The record is credited to the combination of Jerry West and an older Wilt Chamberlain who finished off his career in 1973. The second-longest streak was the 2015-2016 Golden State Warriors with 28 games.
Most Career Assists, John Stockton
John Stockton spent his entire career with Utah Jazz and was instrumental in the team’s success leading to the playoffs in every year of his career. He was also an NBA All-Star in ten different seasons, among other accomplishments. His most notable feat, however, comes from his impressive career assist record with 15,806 assists. The next closest would be Jason Kidd with 12,091.
Michael Jordan’s Groundbreaking Records
No list of NBA records would be complete without a nod to the greatest, Michael Jordan. While some of his records have since been surpassed by modern greats, he still has an impressive resume of standing records. First off, Jordan is the NBA Scoring Champion leader. He has 10 scoring titles, more than anyone else in history. In yet another offensive record that he holds, Jordan also scored the most points per game in the NBA playoffs history. His postseason points per game average is 33.4. If that wasn’t enough to denote Jordan’s skill, he also won the prestigious NBA Finals MVP award 6 times. These are just scratching the surface of Jordan’s accomplishments in the game, which is to be expected when discussing the greatest player in NBA history.
Wilt Chamberlain’s High Scoring Records
When fans think of records, they expect to hear solid stats like “most baskets scored in a single game.” These are the kind of records that the phenomenal Wilt Chamberlain holds to this day. Chamberlain played during what many would consider the “golden age” of basketball, between the 1960s to the mid-1970s. Though you can’t say the sport was as competitive or well established as it is now, Chamberlain’s records are still incredible and certainly a long way from being broken. To start off, Chamberlain holds the record for the most points ever scored in a game, at 100 points in 1962.
The only person to come close to matching this feat was Kobe Bryant in 2006 when he put up 81 points versus the Raptors. Also in 1962, Chamberlain amassed astounding points per game percentage of 50.36. That’s 50 points per game when a whole team might score 100 points for the entire game. If that wasn’t enough, Chamberlain also holds the record for most career rebounds at 23,924. That is an absurd number, a record that will almost certainly never be broken. To put this in perspective, the next closest athlete that is still currently playing in the NBA is Dwight Howard at 34 years old, certainly the twilight of his career, with 13,641 rebounds. When it comes to legendary NBA players, Wilt Chamberlain is one of the greatest of all time.
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