NBA single-game records: The greatest individual performances in league history
Points, rebounds, assists, three-pointers - These are the best individual records in the history of the National Basketball Association.
Scoring 60 points in an NBA game is incredibly difficult. But doing it four games in a row?
That’s exactly what Wilt Chamberlain accomplished between February 25 and March 2, 1962 - the same stretch that included his legendary 100-point game. During that unforgettable week, Chamberlain averaged an astonishing 73 points per game.
60 years ago today, Wilt Chamberlain did this to the Knicks
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 2, 2022
100 PTS (NBA record)
59 PTS in 1 half (NBA record)
36/63 FG (NBA records)
28 FT (NBA record)
During that week, he played 4 games in 5 nights & scored 67, 65, 61 & 100. He also had 78 & 73 earlier in the season. pic.twitter.com/PHmsIW4vIe
No other player in NBA history has scored 60 points in back-to-back games. And Chamberlain’s dominance doesn’t stop there. His scoring streaks go far beyond that milestone.
He also holds the record for:
- Most consecutive 50-point games: 7
- The next best streaks as well (6 and two separate runs of 5)
Chamberlain also posted incredible streaks of:
- 14 straight games with at least 40 points
- 65 consecutive games with 30+ points
- 126 straight games with at least 20 points
On top of that, he set records for:
- Most consecutive games as the league’s leading scorer: 40 (1961–62 season)
- Most consecutive games leading his own team in scoring: 116
Even decades later, many of these records remain untouchable.
Bam Adebayo joins elite company
The 83-point performance by Bam Adebayo against the Washington Wizards is now the second-highest scoring game in NBA history.
31 in the 1Q.
— NBA (@NBA) March 11, 2026
12 in the 2Q.
19 in the 3Q.
21 in the 4Q.
Those are one player's stats from one game tonight 🤯
WATCH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF BAM'S 83 POINTS 🍿 pic.twitter.com/mTpjjO4lzA
It’s a remarkable achievement that places the Miami Heat star among legendary company, between Chamberlain’s iconic 100-point night and the 81 points scored by Kobe Bryant. Not bad company at all.
Adebayo’s scoring explosion is a good excuse to revisit the players who hold the single-game records across the NBA’s major statistical categories. And unsurprisingly, one name stands above the rest.
Once again, Wilt Chamberlain dominates the record book.
The legendary center leads three of the ten categories (points, field goals made, and rebounds), making him the only player who appears multiple times on the list. He also owns the oldest record, his 55-rebound performance in 1960.
The most recent entry is Adebayo’s free-throw record, set the same night as his 83-point game.
NBA single-game statistical leaders
Points: 100 - Wilt Chamberlain (March 2, 1962)
Field Goals Made: 36 - Wilt Chamberlain (March 2, 1962)
Three-Pointers Made: 14 - Klay Thompson (October 29, 2018)
Free Throws Made: 36 - Bam Adebayo (March 10, 2026)
Rebounds: 55 - Wilt Chamberlain (November 24, 1960)
Assists :30 - Scott Skiles (December 30, 1990)
Steals: 11 - Larry Kenon (December 26, 1976) and Kendall Gill (April 3, 1999)
Blocks: 17 - Elmore Smith (October 28, 1973)
Turnovers: 14 - John Drew (March 1, 1978) and Jason Kidd (November 17, 2000)
Minutes Played: 69 - Dale Ellis (November 9, 1989)
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