5 More Amazing Wilt Chamberlain Accomplishments

Fifty years ago today, Wilt Chamberlain did the unthinkable, scoring 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a 169-147 victory over the New York Knicks.

That night has taken on mythic proportions in large part because a) no video exists of the game b) there are barely any photographs of it and c) only a little more than 4,000 people were in attendance.

Because 100 is such a magical number, that's the first thing that comes to mind when many think of Wilt. Well, that and "20,000." But obviously, that mysterious 100-point game is far from Wilt's only amazing accomplishment.

Here are five more.  

The Big Dipper Averaged 50 Points a Game for a Season

Scoring 50 points in a game is an amazing performance, except that Wilt made it seem ho-hum. He accomplished that feat 118 times in his career.

During the 1961-62 season, the same one in which he recorded the 100-point performance against the Knicks in Hershey, he averaged 50.4 points per game.

No other player has come close to matching that feat, and the next closest happened during the 1985-86 season, when Michael Jordan averaged 37.1 points per game.

Wilt Never Fouled out

Wilt was obviously much bigger and stronger than just about everyone he played against during his day.

But, he was an amazingly disciplined defensive player, as evidenced by the fact he never fouled out during his NBA career. In addition, he only committed an average of two fouls per game during his career. 

He Led the League in Assists One Season

Wilt was, of course, known as a tremendous scorer and rebounder. But if being the greatest scorer and rebounder of his time wasn't enough, he added another title to his mantle—albeit for just one season.

During the 1967-68 campaign, he notched 8.6 assists per game, becoming the only player in league history to have led the league for an entire season in points, rebounds and assists. 

Wilt Led the League in Rebounding 11 Times

Wilt the Stilt let everyone know from the outset that he was a beast on the boards, grabbing 27 rebounds a game during his rookie season. He led the league in rebounds 11 times, and during that marvelous 1961-62 season, he grabbed more than 2,000 boards.

Even though he didn't average more than 20 rebounds per game during the last four seasons of his career, he still led the NBA in that category three times during those four seasons. 

He Played 48.53 Minutes During a Season

Wilt had amazing stamina, as evidenced by leading the league eight times in minutes played per game during a season, an NBA record. He holds the record for most minutes played per game in a career—45.8.

But, what's most amazing about his endurance is that during that record-breaking 1961-62 season, he played an average of 48.53 minutes per game. No wonder he was able to notch so many points and rebounds that year.