NBA Records That Are Least Likely to Fall
Records are meant to be broken, the saying goes. The trouble is that several of those standards may never be touched.
Technically speaking, no NBA record—whether a single game, a full season or an entire career—is unattainable. Somebody set it once, so theoretically it could be broken eventually.
In some cases, however, the context is just extraordinary.
Longevity can be a critical piece of a record, and so can rule adjustments. Team and coaching philosophies shift over time. To break certain marks, the entire sport would need to fundamentally change.
Among the hundreds of measures available, we've picked eight NBA records that are least likely to fall.
Single-Game Assists
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Record: Scott Skiles with 30 in 1990
If the NBA ever abandons defense to an All-Star Game level, perhaps Scott Skiles' record will change hands.
But this is a ridiculous number.
Skiles, a guard for the Orlando Magic, amassed 30 assists in a 155-116 victory over the Denver Nuggets in December 1990. He played 44 minutes, also scoring 22 points in the blowout win.
The next-closest player is John Stockton, unsurprisingly, with 28 in a game (only 17 days after Skiles' performance). More recently, Rajon Rondo dished 25 in 2017 and 24 in 2010. During both the 2019 and 2021 seasons, Russell Westbrook had a 24-assist showing—although one of them happened in a double-overtime game.
Single-Game Points
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Record: Wilt Chamberlain with 100 in 1962
If you manage a single takeaway from these records, just know Wilt Chamberlain could be included several more times. We chose to highlight only two, solely in the interest of spreading the love.
His most popular achievement, though, comes up first.
Chamberlain reached the century mark in March 1962, scoring 100 points as the Philadelphia Warriors beat the New York Knicks 169-147. He finished with 36 two-pointers and 28 free throws.
Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant went nuclear in a 2006 clash with the Toronto Raptors. He still scored just 81 points in 42 minutes—with the benefit of a three-point line. Short of feeding one player specifically to break the record, 100 seems absolutely untouchable.
Single-Season Minutes
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Record: Wilt Chamberlain with 3,882 in 1961-62
Again, any number of choices would be fitting. As long as the NBA continues to play 48-minute games, however, nobody is touching Chamberlain's involvement in the 1961-62 season.
Chamberlain logged 3,882 minutes in the 80-game campaign. Based on his Basketball-Reference game log, he exited a single contest for just eight minutes. Otherwise, he never left the court—including overtime—for an entire season. The entire season!
If you multiple 82 games by 48 minutes, you get 3,936. That means, in today's era, a player could rest for a total of 53 minutes or less (excluding potential overtime games).
Yeah. Not happening.
By the way, Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points in 1961-62. Probably not getting to that one, either.
Single-Season Assists
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Record: John Stockton with 1,164 in 1990-91
If you know NBA history, John Stockton is an iconic name. If you're new to the league, welcome! Let's talk about him.
Stockton is—with no argument possible—the most productive passer ever in a career. Not only did he set an NBA record with 1,164 assists in the 1990-91 campaign, but Stockton also ranks second, third, fourth, sixth, eighth and ninth in the category's single-season all-time list.
In this particular year, he guided the Utah Jazz to 54 wins alongside fellow Hall of Fame inductee Karl Malone. Stockton earned an All-Star nod along with second-team All-NBA honors.
Isiah Thomas had 1,123 assists in 1984-85, so at least somebody else was in Stockton's neighborhood. Since 2000, though, Chris Paul (925) and James Harden (907) are the only players to even hit 900.
Single-Season Technical Fouls
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Record: Rasheed Wallace in 2000-01
It's not controversial to say Rasheed Wallace, who played 16 seasons in the NBA, had quite a temper.
While on the Portland Trail Blazers in 2000-01, "Sheed" voiced his displeasure to the tune of 41 technical fouls.
The main reason Wallace's record is safe? As part of the 2005 collective bargaining agreement, the league and players agreed to a one-game suspension after a 16th technical in a season. After two more (18, 20, 22 and on), there's another one-game suspension.
Reaching 42 technical fouls would mean a player also serves 14 games of behavior-related suspensions.
Coaches show plenty of patience with talented, emotion-filled players—see Luka Dončić, Draymond Green, etc.—but no well-run staff or team is putting up with 14 suspensions.
Career Playoff Points
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Record: LeBron James with 8,023 points (and counting)
LeBron James doesn't have many NBA seasons left in his unforgettable career, but every single point he scores in the playoffs will further pad his impressive scoring mark.
Through the 2022-23 campaign, LeBron has piled up 8,023 points in 282 career postseason games.
Michael Jordan, who netted 5,987 points, is second. Kevin Durant (4,878) and Stephen Curry (3,966) headline the active players, but neither of those totals are close—and both players are 35 years old.
LeBron's combination of longevity, individual performance and team success will be extremely difficult to match.
Consecutive Games Played
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Record: A.C. Green with 1,192 straight games
Similar to Chamberlain's minute total, A.C. Green's record is largely a matter of mathematical improbability.
Green kicked off a remarkable streak on Nov. 19, 1986, while on the Lakers. From that day through his final season in 2000-01, he never missed a regular-season game. He played in 1,192 consecutive games and, for good measure, only missed three in the entirety of his 16 years.
Because of a midseason trade from the Phoenix Suns to the Dallas Mavericks, he even snuck in an 83-game campaign in 1996-97.
Green formally passed Randy Smith for the record with his 907th straight appearance on Nov. 20, 1997.
The active leader is Mikal Bridges, who entered 2023-24 with 392 consecutive games. To break Green's mark, Bridges cannot miss a game for nine more seasons plus 63 games in the following year.
Most Championships
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Record: Bill Russell with 11 titles
From the 1957 postseason through 1969, the Boston Celtics won 11 of the 13 possible NBA titles.
Not coincidentally, Bill Russell was there the whole time.
Yes, the Celtics had plenty of surrounding talent with future Hall of Fame teammates Bob Cousy, Sam Jones, John Havlicek, Tommy Heinsohn and Satch Sanders, among many other players. Russell, though, served as the driving force of Boston's overwhelming dynasty.
Russell averaged 15.1 points, 22.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists over the course of his career. Not only did he secure the Finals MVP five times, the award is now named after Russell.
The only other players with eight-plus championships shared the court with Russell. Even the best ring-chaser today probably couldn't make eight happen, let alone 11 or 12.
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