'Records are made to be broken.'
In sports, and possibly even in life, that's true in about 90% of all instances. In the case of the remaining 10%, those records are unbreakable. These 'unbreakable' records were set in a time and under circumstances that can never be duplicated.
Since it's inception in 1947, the NBA has witnessed plenty of such records. Here's a look at a few notable ones that will remain untouched in the history books:
Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game & more
Given the Goliath that he was, Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain would probably be the only player ever to have multiple unbreakable records, most of which would be to do with scoring and rebounding.
The first one that comes to mind is obviously the 100-point game against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962. Despite not winning the MVP that year, his 1961-62 is one of the greatest ever with his insurmountable season averages of 50.4 points and 48.5 minutes. His dominance was such that nearly every scoring or rebounding record of his would remain untouched.
So, here are the most striking ones that are quite certain to not be surpassed by any player: most 50-point games (118), most consecutive league scoring titles (7 - tied with Michael Jordan), games with 50 or more points in a single season (45) and most rebounds in a single game (55). For all records held by Chamberlain, click here.
Russell and Celtics dominance in the 1960s
Yes, the league had fewer teams in the 60s than it does now but that doesn't take away from the fact that Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics clinched 11 NBA titles in a span of 13 years. From 1956 to 1969, only twice did they fail to clinch a championship –1958 and 1967.
For much of this Celtics' dynasty, the league had around eight teams. Toward the end of the franchise's reign, the number of teams grew to 14. So, the argument could be made that the talent depth was less divided, driving up the competition level among teams.
Either way, winning 11 out of a possible 13 is difficult in any professional sport.
Lakers 33-game winning streak
Since 1971 when the Lakers set the benchmark for most consecutive wins, only a couple of teams have had their sights on it or even come close to tying it or breaking it – the Miami Heat in 2012-13 (27) and the Golden State Warriors in 2014-15 (24).
Given the taxing weight on every player for a single game with travel, media commitments and so on, it doesn't seem likely that this record of 33 straight wins will ever be bettered.
As part of this record, the 1971-72 Lakers, which were led by legendary players like Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Gail Goodrich, won 16 straight games on the road – also an NBA record.
Ironman A.C. Green
Three-time NBA Champion A.C. Green holds the records for most consecutive games played with 1,192. The streak is part of Green's 1,278-game career that lasted 16 seasons with four franchises – Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and the Miami Heat.
His 'Ironman' streak began on November 19, 1986 when the Lakers defeated the Spurs in San Antonio and it ended with the final game of his career in 2001 as a member of the Miami Heat against the Orlando Magic.
This record is most certainly going to remain untouched. In recent times, only a handful of players play all 82 games each season, let alone multiple consecutive seasons. As of Oct. 2020, Utah Jazz's Joe Ingles holds the current record for most consecutive games played.
Walt Bellamy's 88-game season
A Hall of Famer, the late Walt Bellamy set the NBA record for most games played in a single season with 88.
He began the 1968-69 season with the New York Knicks, for whom he played out the first 35 games of the campaign before getting dealt with the Detroit Pistons for Dave DeBusschere. Due to the schedules for both teams, he went on to play the Pistons' remaining 53 games and ended up with 88.
Rasheed Wallace's technical fouls tally of 41
Rasheed Wallace, while with the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2000-01 season, set the NBA record for most technicals fouls in a single season with 41.
However, it's highly unlikely that this record will be broken simply because of a rule change that was enforced in 2006. Prior to the 2006-07 season, the NBA announced that after 16 technical fouls in a season, an NBA player would be suspended for the next game without pay.
So, for the sake of missing games and financially, every player is incentivitized to ensure that they are called for less than 16 technicals in the regular season.
John Stockton's career totals for assists and steals
At the end of a 19-year NBA career, John Stockton amassed an NBA record 15,806 assists and 3,265 steals. In both categories, Jason Kidd ranks second to Stockton with 12,091 assists and 2,684 steals. That's quite the margin between Nos. 1 and 2.
The highest active player on the both these charts is Chris Paul with 9,653 assists and 2,233 steals. However, CP3 is 35 years old and is heading into his 16th season. So, it's highly improbable that any player would come close to Stockton's record, let alone break it.
Stay tuned for a possible Part 2 for more 'unbreakable NBA records'.
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