The question, “Who has shot 100 in an NBA game?” is a fascinating one, often leading to a common misconception in the world of basketball statistics. To be absolutely clear right from the start: no player has ever taken 100 shots in a single NBA game. While the idea might spark images of unparalleled individual dominance, the reality of NBA game flow, team dynamics, and statistical norms makes such a feat virtually impossible. What many people are likely thinking of, or perhaps misremembering, is the legendary achievement of 100 *points* scored in a single game, a truly monumental milestone achieved only once in NBA history.
This article will delve deep into this distinction, explain why taking 100 shots is an unrealistic proposition, analyze the game where 100 points were scored (and the actual shot attempts involved), and put these incredible numbers into proper historical and statistical context. We’ll explore the highest shot attempt games, highlight the difference between field goals and free throws, and ultimately reinforce why the “100 shots” query, while intriguing, remains firmly in the realm of myth.
The Legendary 100-Point Game: Wilt Chamberlain’s Unfathomable Night
When the discussion turns to “100” in an NBA game, there is only one name that immediately springs to mind: Wilt Chamberlain. On March 2, 1962, playing for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks at Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Wilt Chamberlain etched his name into basketball immortality by scoring an astonishing 100 points. This remains the single-game scoring record in NBA history, a mark that has stood for over six decades and is widely considered unbreakable.
Deconstructing Wilt’s Shot Attempts in His 100-Point Performance
It is here, in the specifics of Wilt’s incredible night, that we find the definitive answer to our core question about “100 shots.” While he scored 100 points, his shot volume, though exceptionally high, was nowhere near 100. Let’s break down his stat line:
- Field Goals Made (FGM): 36
- Field Goal Attempts (FGA): 63
- Free Throws Made (FTM): 28
- Free Throw Attempts (FTA): 32
As you can clearly see, even combining his field goal attempts (63) and free throw attempts (32) only brings his total number of *shots* to 95. While 95 total shot attempts is an absolutely staggering number – one of the highest in NBA history – it still falls short of 100. More importantly, when people refer to “shooting” in basketball, they typically mean field goal attempts, which for Wilt was 63. This is a crucial distinction that clarifies the widespread misconception.
The Context of Wilt’s Herculean Effort
To fully appreciate Wilt’s 100-point game and its associated shot attempts, it’s essential to understand the era and the circumstances:
- Pace of Play: The early 1960s NBA featured an incredibly fast pace, with teams averaging far more possessions per game than today. More possessions mean more opportunities for shots for everyone, including a dominant scorer like Wilt.
- Lack of Three-Point Line: The three-point shot did not exist in the NBA until the 1979-80 season. All of Wilt’s field goals were two-pointers, requiring more made shots to accumulate points.
- Intentional Fouling: As Wilt’s point total soared, the Knicks began intentionally fouling other Warriors players (often poor free-throw shooters) to regain possession and prevent Wilt from scoring. However, the Warriors countered by also fouling the Knicks to get the ball back to Wilt, leading to a frantic, high-scoring fourth quarter that helped inflate Wilt’s free throw attempts.
- Wilt’s Dominance: Chamberlain was an unstoppable force, a physical marvel unmatched in his era. He was often double-teamed, triple-teamed, or even quadruple-teamed, yet he still managed to get off an incredible volume of shots, convert them at an impressive rate (36-for-63 is 57.1%), and dominate the boards (25 rebounds in that game).
So, while Wilt came closest to taking 100 shots in a single game (when counting both FGA and FTA), he didn’t quite reach it. More importantly, no one has come close to 100 *field goal attempts*.
Why 100 Field Goal Attempts in an NBA Game is Virtually Impossible
Let’s logically break down why taking 100 field goal attempts in a standard 48-minute NBA game is an impossibility, transcending even the most dominant individual performances:
1. Limited Possessions Per Game
Modern NBA games typically feature between 90 and 100 possessions per team. In the 1960s, while the pace was faster, it was still usually in the 120-130 range per team on very high-paced nights. If a player were to take 100 field goal attempts, it would mean they are shooting on nearly every single offensive possession for their team, assuming average team possessions. This leaves almost no opportunities for teammates to shoot, pass, or even handle the ball in a meaningful way, which is simply not how basketball works.
2. Ball Dominance and Team Dynamics
Even the most ball-dominant players in NBA history – think Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, or James Harden – share the ball. Basketball is a team sport built on passing, screens, cuts, and collective offense. For one player to take 100 shots, they would have to completely monopolize the ball, ignore open teammates, and essentially play a solo game within a team context. No coach would allow this, and no team could function effectively under such circumstances.
3. Defensive Pressure and Fatigue
Imagine the defensive attention a player taking 100 shots would draw. They would face constant double-teams, traps, and physical play from the moment they crossed half-court. Getting open for even 20-30 shots is incredibly difficult; generating 100 quality (or even poor quality) looks against elite NBA defenders is physically exhausting and practically impossible over 48 minutes. The sheer physical toll would be immense.
4. Offensive Rebounding Nuance
Some might argue that a player could get many shots from offensive rebounds. While offensive rebounds do give a player second or third chances on a single possession, they don’t significantly inflate the overall *number of possessions* for a team to the point where 100 FGA becomes feasible. Even if a player got two or three shots on every other possession, they’d still struggle to reach such a high volume.
5. Coaching Philosophy and Player Ego
Modern NBA coaching emphasizes efficiency, ball movement, and exploiting mismatches. A player attempting 100 shots would signify a complete breakdown of offensive structure and a total disregard for team play. It would be detrimental to team chemistry and would likely result in an immediate benching or even a player being traded. No player, regardless of their scoring prowess, is bigger than the team to that extent.
Highest Field Goal Attempts in NBA History (Single Game)
To further illustrate how rare high shot volumes are, let’s look at the players who have recorded the most field goal attempts in a single NBA game. This list is dominated by a few legendary names, and notably, no one even approaches the 70 FGA mark, let alone 100.
| Rank | Player | FGA | Points Scored | Date | Team vs. Opponent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilt Chamberlain | 63 | 100 | March 2, 1962 | Philadelphia Warriors vs. New York Knicks | |
| 2 | Kobe Bryant | 50 | 60 | April 13, 2016 | Los Angeles Lakers vs. Utah Jazz | |
| 3 | Rick Barry | 48 | 57 | December 6, 1967 | San Francisco Warriors vs. New York Knicks | |
| 4 | Michael Jordan | 49 | 64 | January 16, 1993 | Chicago Bulls vs. Orlando Magic | |
| 5 | Wilt Chamberlain | 48 | 78 | December 8, 1961 | Philadelphia Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers | |
| 6 | Allen Iverson | 46 | 58 | January 12, 2005 | Philadelphia 76ers vs. Memphis Grizzlies | |
| 7 | David Robinson | 46 | 71 | April 24, 1994 | San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Clippers | |
| 8 | Elgin Baylor | 45 | 71 | November 15, 1960 | Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks | … (Many more tied or close to this range) |
This table powerfully demonstrates that even the league’s most prolific scorers, in their highest-scoring outbursts, typically do not exceed 65 field goal attempts. Kobe Bryant’s farewell game, where he scored 60 points on 50 shots, is often cited as a modern example of extremely high volume, yet even that was 13 shots fewer than Wilt’s 100-point game, and a full 50 shots short of the mythical 100 FGA mark.
Understanding “Shots” in Basketball Statistics
It’s important to clarify what “shooting” or “shots” typically refers to in basketball:
- Field Goal Attempts (FGA): This is the primary metric for shooting. It counts every attempt made from the field (two-point or three-point area), regardless of whether it goes in. This is what people generally mean when they ask how many “shots” a player took.
- Free Throw Attempts (FTA): These are shots taken from the free-throw line after a foul. While they are “shots,” they occur under different circumstances than field goal attempts and are often tracked separately from a player’s overall shooting efficiency or volume from the field.
- Total Shots: In some very specific contexts, one might combine FGA and FTA. As we saw with Wilt Chamberlain, his combined FGA + FTA total for his 100-point game was 95. This is the closest any player has come to 100 *total shots* in a game, but it’s crucial to remember that 63 of those were field goal attempts, which are far more impactful on game flow and possession usage.
The distinction matters because a player could theoretically get to a higher combined “shot” number if they were fouled constantly, but their field goal attempts would still be limited by the number of offensive possessions their team had.
The Enduring Power of the “100” Mark
The number “100” holds a certain mythical power in sports. In baseball, 100 MPH fastballs are revered; in football, 100-yard plays are electrifying. For basketball, the “100 points” game is the ultimate individual scoring achievement. It’s so deeply ingrained in the sport’s lore that it’s easy to see how the mind might conflate “100 points” with “100 shots.” Both numbers signify an unprecedented level of individual output, so the mental jump, while inaccurate, is understandable.
However, the actual statistics tell a different story. The highest individual shot volume is a testament to incredible endurance, skill, and a team’s willingness to feed one player, but it pales in comparison to the 100-shot hypothetical. It’s a testament to Wilt Chamberlain’s unique place in basketball history that he stands alone with 100 points, and also at the very top of the highest field goal attempts list, yet even he didn’t reach the century mark for shots.
Conclusion: The Myth Debunked
In summary, to answer the question, “Who has shot 100 in an NBA game?” unequivocally: no player has ever achieved this feat. The record for most field goal attempts in an NBA game belongs to Wilt Chamberlain, who took 63 shots from the field during his historic 100-point game on March 2, 1962. Even when combining his field goal attempts and free throw attempts from that legendary night, the total came to 95 shots, still short of 100.
The concept of a player taking 100 shots in an NBA game goes against the fundamental principles of basketball – team play, possession limits, defensive pressure, and the physical demands of the game. While the human imagination might conjure such a scenario, the cold, hard statistics and the practical realities of the sport firmly place “100 shots in an NBA game” as an intriguing but ultimately impossible fantasy. The focus should rightfully remain on the truly unprecedented achievement: Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point masterpiece, a record that continues to define individual scoring excellence in professional basketball.