Hall of Famer says 420 NBA players could break Wilt's 100-point record

Isiah Thomas believes most of the league could reach the historic milestone under the right circumstances.

Mar. 28, 2026 at 5:22pm

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NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas believes that 420 out of the 450 current NBA players could potentially break Wilt Chamberlain's legendary 100-point scoring record in a single game, given the right circumstances and hot shooting streak.

Why it matters

Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962 is considered one of the most unbreakable records in professional sports history. Thomas' comments suggest that with the increased scoring and pace of the modern NBA game, the 100-point barrier may not be as insurmountable as previously thought.

The details

Thomas made the comments on the Run It Back podcast, stating that if any NBA player "gets hot and that ball is coming to them every single time down the court, can they get 100? Absolutely." The recent 83-point performance by Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo has reignited the discussion around whether Chamberlain's record could be broken.

  • Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single game on March 2, 1962.
  • Bam Adebayo scored 83 points in a game for the Miami Heat in the 2025-26 NBA season.

The players

Wilt Chamberlain

A legendary NBA player who scored 100 points in a single game in 1962, a record that has stood for over 60 years.

Isiah Thomas

A Hall of Fame NBA player who played for the Detroit Pistons and is now a respected basketball analyst.

Bam Adebayo

A star player for the Miami Heat who recently scored 83 points in a single game, the closest anyone has come to Chamberlain's 100-point record.

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What they’re saying

“If any NBA player gets hot and that ball is coming to them every single time down the court, can they get 100? Absolutely... Out of the 450, probably 420 of them could do it.”

— Isiah Thomas, NBA Hall of Famer

The takeaway

Isiah Thomas' bold claim that 420 out of 450 current NBA players could potentially break Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point record suggests that the modern game may have evolved to a point where the historic milestone is not as unattainable as previously believed. This reignites the debate around whether the 100-point barrier can be broken in the near future.