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Wilt Chamberlain: Greatest rookie season in NBA history

By Jasmyn Wimbish

BOSTON, MA - 1967: Wilt Chamberlain #13 of the Philadelphia 76ers rebounds against Bill Russell #6 of the Boston Celtics during a game played in 1967 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1967 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - 1967: Wilt Chamberlain #13 of the Philadelphia 76ers rebounds against Bill Russell #6 of the Boston Celtics during a game played in 1967 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1967 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Forget all your favorites, Wilt Chamberlain holds the greatest rookie season in NBA history.

Wilt Chamberlain’s career is synonymous with the iconic photo of him holding up a piece of paper with the number 100 scribbled on it. Chamberlain’s performance in that game could’ve almost been predicted, considering the historic season he had his rookie year with the Philadelphia Warriors.

Before he was dropping record numbers on the New York Knicks, Chamberlain was the first rookie in NBA history to lead the league in scoring and win league MVP. Not to mention his 43-point 28-rebound performance in his first NBA game is the most impressive debut in league history.

At 7-foot-1 Chamberlain averaged 37 points and 27 rebounds a game in an era where he was essentially unguardable, leading him to win Rookie of the Year. He was far ahead of his time, playing with and against players who were nowhere near as athletic as him, and he created a matchup nightmare on both ends of the floor.

Offensively, Chamberlain feasted around the rim, dunking on guys and executing the up-and-under to near perfection on a nightly basis. His size helped with his court vision, seeking guys out when they were cutting to the basket, and his execution on offense was met with a finesse that is not usually associated with someone of his size.

As far as defense goes, Chamberlain was a bully in the post. If blocks were a statistic the NBA kept track of back then, there’s no doubt Chamberlain would hold the record. There wasn’t a shot he couldn’t defend, not even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s signature skyhook.

In the modern era, there have been some standout performances that are up there as far as greatest rookie seasons, but none come close to what Chamberlain did in his first year in the NBA. Not to mention, he then went on to outdo himself in the following years.

In his third year, Chamberlain averaged 50 points a game, that kind of production is unheard of today, even for someone like LeBron James or even Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan in their eras. In fact, Chamberlain holds the top-3 marks for most 50-point game performances in a season, his most is 45 games.

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Chamberlain finished his storied 14-year career in the league with four league MVP awards, a two-time NBA champion, seven-time scoring champion 10-time All NBA and he even led the league in assists one year.

Although bigger accolades are more memorable throughout Chamberlain’s career, his production in his rookie season is not only the greatest in NBA history but likely something we will never see again.

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