When it comes to putting up numbers unlike anyone else in the history of basketball, no one did that more than former Los Angeles Lakers center Wilt Chamberlain. Whether it was his 100-point game, or averaging 50 points and 25 rebounds in a single season, Wilt was a one-of-a-kind phenomenon.
The 1972 season was a special one for Chamberlain and the Lakers. The team went on an NBA-record 33-game winning streak and would ultimately go on to win its first championship in Los Angeles. Chamberlain also marked himself in the history books forever on Feb. 16, 1972.
Even though the Lakers fell to the Phoenix Suns, 110-109, Chamberlain became the first player in NBA history to score 30,000 points in his career. He had 19 points in the game, but at this stage in his career he was more focused on defense and rebounding at the behest of head coach Bill Sharman.
Wilt was the fourth-leading scorer on this Lakers team, behind Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, and Jim McMillan, but he could still be relied upon for baskets when necessary. Throughout his career, Chamberlain was arguably the most dominant force the league has ever seen.
To this day only six other players have reached the 30,000-point mark: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Dirk Nowitzki, and LeBron James. A seventh could be added as Julius Erving has 30,000 career points when accounting for his years in the ABA as well.
But there can only be one first, and Wilt was that player. He was ahead of his time with his size and athleticism and that led to the ridiculous numbers everyone has seen over the years. There is basically no comparison for Wilt and on this day, he set himself apart from anyone else once again.
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