The NBA is the pinnacle of basketball and facing the LA Lakers was never an easy challenge, even for some of the best to grace the league.
The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in NBA history having won no fewer than 17 titles, only the Boston Celtics with 18 have more.
Although they are struggling this season they have guided some of the best basketball players of all time to wear their famous purple and yellow, including LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
One player found out exactly how tough it was to beat the Lakers despite starring on an individual level.
While it is always nice to complete individual accolades during a game it’s never fun ending on the losing side. Phoenix Suns Devin Booker scored 70 points against the Boston Celtics in 2017 and still ended up on the losing team.
As surprising as this is Booker’s effort is not the highest amount of points to be scored by an individual on a losing team.
Wilt Chamberlain has had his name on more NBA records than any player in the league’s history. At one stage he held 72.
Perhaps his most mind-boggling stat was the 50.4 points per game he averaged during the 1961-62 season. He still sits top in rebounds with 23,924 and also led the NBA in scoring seven years in a row.
Despite these impressive accomplishments, he is also known as the player who scored the most points in a game and ended on the losing side.
Chamberlains record came against the LA Lakers on August 12th, 1961. He scored a whopping 78 points in the game which his Philadelphia Warriors side lost 147-151.
What makes the achievement even more impressive is the fact that there were no three-point plays in the league at this time. He also secured a mind-blowing 43 rebounds in the game.
Despite some of his records now being surpassed one that looks like it could stand the test of time is Chamberlain’s 100-point game.
His mega achievement came just one year after his 78-point losing game as he dropped a century for the Warriors against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962.
Chamberlain shot 36-of-63 (57.1%) from the field and 28-of-32 (87.5%) from the free throw line.
The 2x NBA champion had six games with at least 70 points and 15 contests with at least 65 points in his career.
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