100 points
Most points in a game
Chamberlain scored 100 against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, shooting 36-of-63 from the field and 28-of-32 from the line — a total no player has come within 19 points of since.
Some basketball records are living milestones being extended in real time; others are monuments from a vanished style of play that will never be approached. The list below spans both — single-game explosions, career accumulations, and team benchmarks — mixing feats from the raw, high-possession early 1960s with milestones set in the analytics-driven present.
The distribution of these records tells its own story. Wilt Chamberlain's name recurs so often because he played at a frantic pace against a thinner talent pool; Stephen Curry's and LeBron James's marks reflect the modern game's spacing and longevity. Together they map the outer boundaries of what basketball has produced across more than a century.
Records
50.4 per game
Highest scoring average, season
In the same historic season Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points and 48.5 minutes per game, effectively playing every minute of nearly every contest. No other player has topped even 45.
42,000+
Most career points
James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 38,387 on February 7, 2023, became the first to cross 40,000 in March 2024, and has extended the record past 42,000 through the 2024–25 season, still adding to it.
11 titles
Most championships (player)
Russell won 11 NBA championships in 13 seasons with Boston, including eight straight from 1959 to 1966 — the most by any athlete in a major North American team sport, and widely considered unbreakable.
55 rebounds
Most rebounds in a game
Chamberlain pulled down 55 rebounds against Bill Russell and the Celtics on November 24, 1960 — fittingly against the greatest defensive rebounder of the age. The mark has stood for over six decades.
15,806
Most career assists
Stockton's total with the Utah Jazz sits more than 3,700 ahead of any other player, built over 19 seasons in which he almost never missed a game — a durability-and-vision record considered untouchable.
3,265
Most career steals
Stockton also holds the all-time steals record, underscoring the relentless two-way play that defined his career alongside Karl Malone in Utah's pick-and-roll offense.
3,830
Most career blocks
Olajuwon blocked 3,830 shots across 18 seasons, ahead of Dikembe Mutombo, and remains the only player to lead the league in both blocks and steals in different seasons — rare quickness for a 7-footer.
4,000+
Most career three-pointers
Curry passed Ray Allen's record in December 2021 with hundreds of games in hand and has pushed the total beyond 4,000 as of the 2024–25 season, redefining the sport's shooting range.
73–9
Best regular-season record
The Warriors broke the 1995–96 Bulls' 72–10 mark, though they lost the Finals to Cleveland from a 3–1 lead — a reminder that the greatest regular season guarantees nothing in June.
200+
Most career triple-doubles
Westbrook passed Oscar Robertson's mark of 181 in 2021 and, like Robertson, averaged a triple-double across an entire season — a feat he accomplished four separate times, an unprecedented burst of all-around production.
81 points
Most points in a game (modern era)
Bryant scored 81 against Toronto on January 22, 2006 — the highest single-game total since Chamberlain and the benchmark of the modern scoring era, within a season he finished at 35.4 per game.
1,192 games
Most consecutive games played
Green played 1,192 straight games over 15 seasons without missing one, earning the nickname Iron Man — a durability record from an era before load management became league practice.
6 MVPs
Most MVP awards
Abdul-Jabbar was named regular-season MVP six times over a decade in Milwaukee and Los Angeles, more than any other player — Michael Jordan and Bill Russell are next with five apiece.
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