When we talk about unbreakable records in the NBA, Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point single game sits at the top, or top five at minimum. Among the many records Wilt has, that is one of the most amazing. Of course, there are records like John Stockton’s assists, Steph Curry’s three-pointers made, and so on. Speaking of the single-scoring game record, LeBron James believes Giannis Antetokounmpo would have shattered it in a previous era.
LeBron Believes Giannis Would Have Shattered Wilt’s 100-Point Record
In a teaser for the Pat McAfee show, we can see LeBron talking about Giannis Antetokounmpo and how he could score more than 100 points if he liked. The conversation is whether the Greek Freak could have played in the earlier eras. It is always an interesting discussion when current players talk about previous eras. Or when former players talk about the current era. LeBron had a shocking statement about Giannis and his possible accomplishments. He said,
“You trying to tell me Giannis wouldn’t be able to play an NBA game in the 70’s? Giannis would have 250 points in a game in the 70’s.”
For context, Wilt’s 100-point scoring game came in the 1960s, on March 2, 1962. Fun fact: LeBron also has one of the most unbreakable records. His 50,000 career points will hardly be ever matched.
Scoring in the 1970s vs. Scoring Now
Here is the fun part about LeBron’s statement on Giannis. The 1970s had one of the highest-scoring seasons in league history. During the 1969-70 season, teams averaged 116.7 points per game. The closest we have gotten to that is during the 2022-23 season when teams in the NBA averaged 114.7 points per game.
During the 1961-62 season, teams scored an average of 118.8 points per game which is the most of all-time. Maybe that is because Wilt dominated the league that year, averaging 50 points per game himself. That number definitely upped the scoring average in the league. The 1969-70 season is the fourth-highest-scoring season in league history.
Generally speaking, scoring went down a bit in the 1970s compared to the 1960s. But teams averaged 100+ points per game in each season. During the 1970-71 season, teams averaged 112.4 points per game, in the 1978-79 season, that number was 110.3 points.
LeBron and Giannis Antetokounmpo Mutual Respect
LeBron and Giannis are two of the best players in the league, and they have mutual respect for each other. Back in 2021, Giannis called LeBron one of the best players in the league. The oldest player in the league right now answered, saying,
“To be respected by a guy in our league that’s been so dominant over the last few years, obviously representing the MVP trophy over the last couple years, and just what he does on both ends of the floor it’s very well received and very humbling as well. But that guy is damn good himself.”
Then, in 2023, Giannis Antetokounmpo talked about LeBron as the GOAT, choosing him over Michael Jordan. He said,
“Some guys might say he is No.2, but other guys like me, I say he is No.1, and he’s still going.”
All the King has done since then was set another unbreakable record, achieving 50,000 career points. The mutual respect between these two all-time greats is awesome to see. Regardless, of whether you agree with LeBron’s statement about Giannis scoring 250 points in the 1970s or if you think LeBron is the GOAT you have to respect both of their greatness.
Photo credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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