NBA: The 15 Most Unbreakable Records in League History

Ethan Norof

The most unbreakable records in NBA history are going to be standing for a very long time.

It's going to be extraordinarily tough for any team or player to challenge the numbers on this list, as all of them are downright staggering.

Wilt Chamberlain is a no-brainer to appear with his dominant play, but some of the other candidates on the list may serve to surprise most.

Is there a record that's not insurmountable? Let's take a look.

15. Average Blocks Per Game: Mark Eaton

Mark: 5.6

Eaton was a menace in the middle, and his defensive prowess was really second to none.

Current basketball fans are amazed by Dwight Howard's ability to swat shots with regularity, but Eaton's numbers make Howard's look solely mediocre.

At 7'4", it's not surprising he had the length to contend around the rim; his 1984-1985 average is absolutely ridiculous, as Eaton batted away almost six shots per contest.

14. Technicals for a Season: Rasheed Wallace

Mark: 41

Rasheed Wallace was known as one of the more prominent hotheads in the game, and many joked that the new technical rules were put in place to combat his arguing.

Although his conversations with the referees have been exaggerated, there's no doubting Wallace had something to say with every call that went against him.

He really lit it up in 2000-2001 when he got called for an insane 41 technical fouls. That's one every other game.

Could you imagine his penalties under the new set of rules? I doubt anyone will challenge 40-plus any time soon.

13. Career Games Played: Robert Parish

Mark: 1,611

Although this isn't a record that jumps off the page at first glance, it's one that really speaks to the incredible duration of Parish's career.

To put it in a broader context, the second-ranking person in the career games played category is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and he played 51 less in his career than the famed big man.

Karl Malone seemed to have a career that extended forever, and even he logged just 1,476 before he hung it up for good.

It makes it even more impressive considering Parish was a seven-footer, and their careers typically don't extend as long as smaller players.

12. Free-Throw Percentage for a Season: Jose Calderon

Mark: 98.1 percent

When Jose Calderon set the pace in the 2008-2009 season, there wasn't a more feared player at the charity stripe than the Toronto point guard.

Calderon missed just three free throw attempts all season long.

That's right.

The talented distributor went 151-for-154 from the line, and it seems especially magical when one considers that he's shot just 79.8 percent and 85.4 percent in the two seasons following his record-setting accomplishment.

11. Assists in a Single Game: Scott Skiles

Mark: 30

Scott Skiles might not get a lot of notoriety in a greater historical context of the game, but he's got one record that's going to be awfully tough to take away.

Skiles registered a ridiculous 30 assists in a single game against the Denver Nuggets back in 1990; that type of production would be solid for a point guard over a three-game span.

The Magic scored 155 points in the contest, but the fact that Skiles racked up so many assists is simply mind-blowing as it's something that's truly beyond the boundaries of a basketball court.

10. Consecutive 30-Point Games: Wilt Chamberlain

Mark: 65 straight games

We think it's impressive when a player manages to score 30-plus points in five or six straight in the NBA these days, but Chamberlain blew that right out of the water.

The Stilt managed to drain 30 or more in an insane 65 straight contests, a feat that is incomparable to anything that's been recently accomplished.

There are several reasons why he's considered one of the most dominant players to ever play the game, and this is just one of them.

9. Winning Streak: 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers

Mark: 33 straight games

In the 1971-1972 season, the Lakers went on a roll, and it seemed like nobody could stop them.

When one takes a look at their roster from that season, it's pretty easy as to see why they were so dominant for almost half the season.

Los Angeles finished that campaign with a 69-13 record and went on to win the NBA Championship.

8. Average a Triple-Double for a Season: Oscar Robertson

Mark: 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, 11.4 assists

The 1961-1962 season was a very special one for Mr. Robertson, as it's one the NBA will struggle to see ever again.

Robertson's ridiculous averages are just amazing to look at. However, it doesn't tell the whole story.

The Big O also averaged 11 free throw attempts per game and shot 80.3 percent from the line, and he also posted an impressive 47.8 percent from the floor, despite averaging an amazing 22.9 shots from the floor.

That's the type of player every coach wants running the offense.

7. Career Assists: John Stockton

Mark: 15,806

Not only did Stockton rock one of the fliest uniforms in the history of the game, but he also dished the rock better than anyone else could.

Stockton's career assist total is over 4,000 more than second-place Jason Kidd. That is jaw-dropping when one considers how highly Kidd is ranked among point guards in a historical context.

Steve Nash ranks sixth with 9,252, and Chris Paul is going to have an uphill battle ahead of him if he's going to ever top the charts, as he's got just 4,228 to his credit.

6. Career Points Scored: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Mark: 38,387 points

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's ability to put the ball in the hoop was unlike anyone else—literally.

Despite all of the great scorers who have played the game, it's probable nobody is going to challenge the legendary big man for the top spot in this category.

Michael Jordan scored just 32,292 points in his historic career, and despite all the efforts from Kobe Bryant thus far, he's at just 27,868.

5. Number of Wins in a Single Season: Chicago Bulls

Mark: 72 wins

Attention Jeff Van Gundy, do you still want to stand by your prediction for the Miami Heat?

No matter how much talent is on your team in the current landscape of the league, it's awfully difficult to lose just 10 games in a season.

Most of the top-tier teams have a hard time topping 60 games in the win column.

There isn't going to be another team like Jordan's Bulls anytime soon, making it unlikely that a club could challenge Chicago's place in the record books.

4. Consecutive Games Played: A.C. Green

Mark: 1,192 straight games

There is a reason Green garnered the nickname of "Iron Man," and his consecutive games played streak is exactly why he got it.

To put it into perspective, Green's 1,192 straight means he played approximately 14.5 straight seasons without missing a single game.

No injuries, no personal time off; nothing but pure basketball and dedication to the game.

3. Single-Season Scoring Average: Wilt Chamberlain

Mark: 50.4 points per game in 1961-1962

It's just an amazing feeling when looking at the career statistics of Wilt Chamberlain.

His scoring average of more than 50 points per game will likely never be broken, as the game has changed drastically since Chamberlain asserted his dominance.

We celebrate any player who manages to put up 50 in a single game once in an 82-game set, but Chamberlain averaged that figure for the duration of a season.

2. Championships as a Player: Bill Russell

Mark: 11 rings

"Defense wins championships" is an adage that has been oft-repeated, but it bears mentioning here since Russell took the saying to heart.

The defensive presence in the middle was able to secure 11 championships in his career despite playing only 13 seasons, and that's one extremely impressive winning percentage.

Russell averaged more than 20 rebounds per game in 10 seasons during his career.

1. Number of Points in a Single Game: Wilt Chamberlain

Mark: 100 points

While Chamberlain's ability to light up the record books has been well-documented, there isn't going to be another player who sniffs a triple-digit output in a single game.

While Kobe Bryant came close with his 81-point effort against the Toronto Raptors in 2006, even his pure dominance of the game left him 19 shy of tying Chamberlain.

There were just more than 4,000 people in attendance on the historic evening Chamberlain etched his name into the record books, and it's likely there won't ever be another spectacle quite like this one.

   

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