The NBA has seen some incredible numbers since it started in 1946. Some records fall every few years, while others have stood for decades. In this guide, we look at the NBA records that fans still talk about, and the ones that may never be broken.
Wilt Chamberlain and the 100-point game
On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single game against the New York Knicks. No player has come close since. For decades, the nearest anyone got was Kobe Bryant, who scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.
Chamberlain owns many other NBA records too. In the 1961–62 season, he averaged 50.4 points per game. He also grabbed 55 rebounds in one game, and he finished his career with 23,924 rebounds. So far, no one has passed any of these marks.
Bill Russell’s 11 championships
Winning one title is hard. Bill Russell won 11 in just 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics. In fact, the Celtics won eight titles in a row from 1959 to 1966.
In today’s league, with 30 teams and a salary cap, a run like that looks almost impossible. That is why many fans rank Russell’s 11 rings among the safest NBA records of all.
The all-time scoring record
For almost 39 years, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the career scoring record with 38,387 points. Then, in February 2023, LeBron James finally passed him. A year later, LeBron became the first player to score 40,000 points in NBA history.
Kareem still holds another famous record, though. He won the MVP award six times, more than any other player.
NBA records that belong to point guards
John Stockton spent his entire career with the Utah Jazz. Along the way, he set two NBA records that still look out of reach:
- Most assists: 15,806
- Most steals: 3,265
To break the assists record, a player would need to average 10 assists a game for about 20 seasons. Because of that, most experts believe nobody will ever catch him.
The three-point revolution
Stephen Curry changed basketball. He passed Ray Allen as the career leader in three-pointers in 2021. Then, in 2025, he became the first player to make 4,000 threes.
Curry also set the record for most threes in one season, with 402 in 2015–16. Thanks to him, teams now shoot more threes than ever before.
Team NBA records
Some of the most famous NBA records belong to whole teams:
- Best regular season: In 2015–16, the Golden State Warriors went 73–9. That beat the 72–10 record of Michael Jordan’s 1995–96 Chicago Bulls.
- Longest winning streak: The 1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers won 33 games in a row.
- Most championships: By 2025, the Boston Celtics had won 18 titles, one more than the Lakers.
Michael Jordan’s records
Michael Jordan won six titles and six Finals MVP awards with the Bulls. He also has the highest career scoring average in regular season history, at 30.1 points per game.
In addition, Jordan scored 63 points against the Celtics in a 1986 playoff game. That remains one of the most famous individual performances ever, even though his team lost.
Which NBA records will fall next?
Today’s players are more skilled and better trained than ever. As a result, new stars chase old NBA records every season. Still, a few marks, such as Wilt’s 100 points and Russell’s 11 rings, look safe for a very long time.
To understand how today’s league works, read our guide to the regular season, play-in and playoffs. For the latest official numbers, visit the NBA stats website. You can also find more stories in our NBA section.