In today’s lifestyle, every claim asks for proof. It becomes even harder to convince a generation that lives online, records every moment, and sees history not in books, but in what they can scroll back to in their browser’s three-dot menu. That’s the dilemma every time Wilt Chamberlain’s iconic 100-point game comes up. And it’s not just fans, even an NBA champion is asking, ‘Siri, did Wilt Chamberlain really score 100 points?’
In a chat on All In, Iman Shumpert didn’t hold back when asked if he believed Chamberlain’s 100-point game really happened. His response was blunt but logical: “No. Where is that? How was his field goals that game? I’m saying where are the stats? How is that the most legendary game? We know nothing about it. And you have games older than that with all the footage. I’m sorry, dog.”
Memories and records might not fit your narrative, but on March 2, 1962, in a small arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Wilt Chamberlain did the unthinkable. He scored 100 points in a single game. Twenty-three came in the opening quarter, 41 by halftime, then he stacked another 28 and 31 in the last two periods. The Philadelphia Warriors cruised past the Knicks 169-147, but that night became about one man alone.
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Now imagine if Wilt had pulled out a phone and hit record; Iman Shumpert’s doubts might have ended right there. Instead, we’re left with no game footage, a radio broadcast that went missing for decades, and only scattered evidence to lean on. A triple-digit performance sounds almost mythical, especially when the closest anyone’s ever come was Kobe Bryant with 81, still nearly 19 points shy. But the story gets even crazier.
Wilt reportedly went 36-for-63 from the field that night and, for a man known as “the worst free-throw shooter in the league,” he sank 28 of 32 at the line (87.5 percent) with his famous two-handed underhand style. Fans and rivals alike were left scratching their heads: how did the guy everyone doubted suddenly pull off a performance for the ages? And Iman isn’t the only one to raise red flags.
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Austin Reaves also gave a simple “No” when asked about it. Lou Williams has been just as skeptical. On the Run It Back podcast, he even questioned Wilt’s total points and rebounds. Lou said, “There’s two Wilt stats that I want to take to the Competition Committee… One’s basketball-related (The 100-point game) and one’s not… Wilt didn’t get anywhere close to 25,000 outside of points and rebounds. I’ll leave it there.”
Iman Shumpert even added, “I ain’t going to lie. There is a conspiracy theory that they say he was holding a 100 up for somebody’s birthday. That’s the conspiracy theory. Just saying.” After dropping that line, Iman threw up his hands, but you can bet Shaquille O’Neal would not be a fan of this theory.
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Shaq puts Wilt in a league of his own, even as few NBA players raise doubts
Earlier this year, Shaquille O’Neal joined the discussion on The Big Podcast with Adam Lefkoe. Shaq didn’t mince words: “No, you’re questioning him because you haven’t seen the tape. That’s you, buddy.” Adam quickly responded, “No, I believe it happened.” For Shaq, the burden of proof doesn’t lie with Wilt or the missing footage; it falls on those who doubt his greatness.
But, we can’t dismiss Shaq’s points without considering them carefully; after all, he openly says that Wilt was the reason he became the player we know as Shaq. He has often credited Wilt as the blueprint for his own dominance. Both shared a 7’1” frame, and Wilt’s relentless low-post game showed the path for future rim-rattlers. Shaq highlighted how Wilt used his elbows and physicality to throw defenders off balance, a style of “bully ball” that inspired him to become the powerhouse he was.
“I played like Wilt Chamberlain… I turned into Shaq. Wilt Chamberlain was my inspiration…” Shaq once said.
But we also can’t rule out the possibility that it’s true. The NBA had to tweak its rules just to keep him in check. They widened the paint from 12 to 16 feet and outlawed offensive goaltending back in 1956, all because Wilt kept swatting passes above the rim, which were impossible to stop. His free-throw tricks even forced the league to make players stay behind the line until the ball hit the rim. That was all, Wilt.
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While Millennials and Gen Z debate LeBron versus Jordan for the GOAT title, Shaq has already placed Chamberlain on a pedestal so high that he exists beyond the Iman Shumpert conversation entirely.