First Player to Reach Each Scoring Milestone
NBA scoring history began with the league's earliest games in 1946.
As scoring increased, players gradually established new single-game
benchmarks ranging from the first 20-point performance to Wilt
Chamberlain's historic 100-point game.
| Milestone |
Points Scored |
Player |
Team |
Date |
| First 2-Point Game |
2 |
Ossie Schectman |
New York |
11/01/1946 |
| First 10-Point Game |
18 |
Ed Sadowski |
Toronto Huskies |
11/01/1946 |
| First 20-Point Game |
25 |
Frankie Baumholtz |
Cleveland Rebels |
11/03/1946 |
| First 30-Point Game |
30 |
Ed Sadowski |
Toronto Huskies |
11/15/1946 |
| First 40-Point Game |
41 |
Joe Fulks |
Philadelphia Warriors |
01/14/1947 |
| First 50-Point Game |
63 |
Joe Fulks |
Philadelphia Warriors |
02/10/1949 |
| First 60-Point Game |
63 |
Joe Fulks |
Philadelphia Warriors |
02/10/1949 |
| First 70-Point Game |
71 |
Elgin Baylor |
Los Angeles Lakers |
11/15/1960 |
| First 80-Point Game |
100 |
Wilt Chamberlain |
Philadelphia Warriors |
03/02/1962 |
| First 90-Point Game |
100 |
Wilt Chamberlain |
Philadelphia Warriors |
03/02/1962 |
| First 100-Point Game |
100 |
Wilt Chamberlain |
Philadelphia Warriors |
03/02/1962 |
Progression of the NBA Single-Game Scoring Record
The following list shows the progression of the highest individual
single-game scoring performance as players broke the existing league
record.
| Points |
Player |
Team |
Date |
| 18 |
Ed Sadowski |
Toronto Huskies |
11/01/1946 |
| 25 |
Frankie Baumholtz |
Cleveland Rebels |
11/03/1946 |
| 28 |
Max Zaslofsky |
Chicago Stags |
11/05/1946 |
| 30 |
Ed Sadowski |
Toronto Huskies |
11/15/1946 |
| 31 |
Mel Riebe |
Cleveland Rebels |
11/17/1946 |
| 33 |
Leo Mogus |
Cleveland Rebels |
11/19/1946 |
| 37 |
Joe Fulks |
Philadelphia Warriors |
12/03/1946 |
| 41 |
Joe Fulks |
Philadelphia Warriors |
01/14/1947 |
| 63 |
Joe Fulks |
Philadelphia Warriors |
02/10/1949 |
| 64 |
Elgin Baylor |
Minneapolis Lakers |
11/08/1959 |
| 71 |
Elgin Baylor |
Los Angeles Lakers |
11/15/1960 |
| 100 |
Wilt Chamberlain |
Philadelphia Warriors |
03/02/1962 |
Historic Scoring Milestones
Joe Fulks — 63 points: Fulks became the first player
to score both 50 and 60 points in the same performance when he scored
63 for the Philadelphia Warriors on February 10, 1949.
Elgin Baylor — 71 points: Baylor became the first
player to reach 70 points when he scored 71 for the Los Angeles
Lakers against the New York Knicks on November 15, 1960.
Wilt Chamberlain — 100 points: Chamberlain skipped
past the 80- and 90-point milestones entirely when he scored exactly
100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks
on March 2, 1962. The performance remains the NBA single-game scoring
record.
How the Record Grew
The league's individual scoring record rose quickly during its first
few months. Ed Sadowski scored 18 points on opening night, and within
three months Joe Fulks had pushed the record to 41.
Fulks made the next major leap in February 1949 with 63 points.
That record lasted for more than a decade before Elgin Baylor scored
64 points in 1959 and then 71 in 1960.
Wilt Chamberlain eventually transformed the record entirely. His
100-point performance on March 2, 1962 remains the highest-scoring
individual game in NBA history.
