Chapter 18: The Night Wilt Chamberlain Made History
The fierce battle of the NBA regular season was reaching its climax.
Every game held massive importance as teams fought for playoff positioning.
On March 2, a highly anticipated matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the New York Knicks took place at the Chase Center.
It would be a night that would go down in basketball history.
ESPN Studio – Live Broadcast
The commentators, Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy, were calling the game.
Chamberlain stood at the free-throw line, gripping the ball tightly. He bent his knees, focused, and released the shot with an unorthodox underhanded free throw motion—what some people jokingly referred to as the "granny shot."
Jeff Van Gundy chuckled. "Not the prettiest form, but it's working! Chamberlain is a dominant force inside, and when his free throws are falling, he's unstoppable!"
Mike Breen added, "Wilt is 10 for 10 from the free-throw line tonight! That's something we don't see often. The Knicks are trying everything, but nothing is stopping him!"
The crowd at the Chase Center was on its feet.
Chamberlain took a deep breath, dribbled once, and released another free throw—swish!
Perfect.
The New York Knicks players were visibly frustrated. They had tried everything—double teams, hard fouls, even intentional hacking—but Chamberlain kept finding ways to score.
Halftime arrived.
The scoreboard showed Golden State Warriors 79 – New York Knicks 68.
Chamberlain had already scored 41 points in just two quarters.
The ESPN studio panel, featuring Stephen A. Smith and Jalen Rose, discussed the game during the break.
Stephen A. Smith shook his head in disbelief. "Ladies and gentlemen, what we are witnessing right now is beyond basketball! Wilt Chamberlain is playing like a damn cheat code!"
Jalen Rose laughed. "Look, I knew Wilt was gonna be dominant tonight, but 41 in the first half? That's unheard of! If he keeps this up, we might see a historic performance."
Back on the court, the third quarter began.
But Chamberlain wasn't done yet.
He dominated the paint, catching lobs, posting up, and overpowering every Knicks defender in his way.
He put up 28 points in the third quarter alone, bringing his total to 69 points.
At this point, social media exploded.
Trending on Twitter:
"Wilt is HIM!" "69 points in three quarters?! Are you serious?!" "I swear I'm watching a real-life basketball god!"
The crowd inside Chase Center was deafening. Fans were chanting: "Give the ball to Wilt! Give the ball to Wilt!"
It was clear what was about to happen.
Fourth Quarter – Record-Breaking Moment
The Warriors continued feeding Chamberlain every possession.
With each bucket, the tension in the arena grew.
1:25 left on the clock—Wilt Chamberlain stood at 98 points.
The crowd held its breath as the Warriors set up their offense.
Suddenly, the Knicks tried to stall.
Instead of playing normally, they started deliberately holding the ball to waste time, hoping Chamberlain wouldn't get another shot attempt.
Jeff Van Gundy shouted, "Are you kidding me?! The Knicks are trying to run out the clock to stop history!"
Mike Breen: "It's unsportsmanlike, but the Warriors won't let it happen!"
The Warriors intentionally fouled the Knicks to regain possession.
Finally, with 46 seconds left, Chamberlain caught the ball under the rim, leaped high, and—BOOM!
A powerful slam dunk!
100 POINTS!
The crowd erupted in a standing ovation.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
Fans stormed the court, security rushed in, and the ESPN crew lost their minds on live television.
Stephen A. Smith screamed, "LORD HAVE MERCY! WILT CHAMBERLAIN JUST DID WHAT NO ONE THOUGHT WAS POSSIBLE!"
Jalen Rose: "We just witnessed the greatest individual performance in NBA history!"
The Knicks, utterly shocked, barely played the final seconds of the game.
With the buzzer sounding, the Warriors defeated the Knicks 169-147.
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Post-Game Scenes – A Night to Remember
Chamberlain, exhausted but grinning, was mobbed by teammates, fans, and reporters.
Amid the chaos, someone handed him a small piece of paper.
On it, a simple number: "100."
A camera flashed.
The iconic image of Wilt Chamberlain holding up the "100" sign was born.
Back in the ESPN studio, Mike Breen recapped the insane night: "Wilt Chamberlain just did the impossible. 36 of 63 from the field, 28 of 32 from the free-throw line, 25 rebounds, and 100 POINTS!"
Jeff Van Gundy: "We will never see another game like this again. This was legendary!"
Stephen A. Smith: "Put some respect on this man's name! We just saw history!"
And with that, the entire sports world stood in awe of the greatest single-game performance ever witnessed in basketball.