On January 13, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scored 73 points and grabbed 36 rebounds in a regulation game against the Chicago Packers, setting a record for the highest-scoring regulation game in NBA history at the time. The performance was part of a legendary 1961-62 season in which Chamberlain averaged 50.6 points per game, a record that still stands today.
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On a frigid January night in Philadelphia, before a sparse crowd of just 3,516 fans, Wilt Chamberlain put on a performance that seemed almost impossible. The Philadelphia Warriors center scored 73 points in a regulation game, the most ever without overtime, while adding an astounding 36 rebounds against the Chicago Packers in a 135-117 victory.
Chamberlain's assault on the basket was relentless. He scored 14 points in the first quarter, 19 in the second, 17 in the third, and a scorching 23 in the fourth. His 40 points in the second half set yet another league record.
He hit 29 field goals on 48 attempts while making 15 free throws. But the 73 points were only part of the story. The 36 rebounds he grabbed that night made his performance even more remarkable. When Chamberlain would score his famous 100 points less than two months later, he would pull down only 25 rebounds, making the 73-point, 36-rebound double the more impressive all-around performance.
With 30 seconds remaining, Chamberlain stepped to the free-throw line and calmly sank two shots, pushing his total to 73 points. He had just surpassed Elgin Baylor's previous record of 71 points in a regulation game.
The January 13 performance was just one highlight in what would become one of the greatest individual seasons in sports history. Chamberlain finished the 1961-62 campaign with averages that seem almost fictitious: 50.6 points per game, 25.7 rebounds per game, and an incredible 48.5 minutes per game.
Despite his historic season and record-shattering performances, Chamberlain did not win the 1962 NBA MVP award. That honor went to Boston Celtics center Bill Russell, his greatest rival. The slight illustrated the eternal debate that would define both men's careers: individual brilliance versus team success. While Chamberlain was putting up numbers that may never be matched, Russell's Celtics were winning championships.
The 73-point game served as a prelude to an even more incredible performance. Less than two months later, on March 2, 1962, Chamberlain would score 100 points against the New York Knicks, a record that has stood for more than six decades.
But those 3,516 fans who witnessed the January 13 performance saw something arguably more impressive: a complete game where Chamberlain dominated not just the scoring column but the boards as well, controlling every aspect of the contest with a combination of size, skill, and sheer willpower that the league had never seen before.
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