TITLE: Gilgeous-Alexander One Game Away From Wilt’s 20-Point Streak Record
SLUG: gilgeous-alexander-nears-wilt-chamberlain-20-point-streak-record
CONTENT:
Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can match one of the league’s longest-standing scoring streaks Monday night when the Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Denver Nuggets at 7:30 p.m. ET on Peacock. A 20-point outing would give the 27-year-old guard 126 consecutive games with at least 20 points, tying the mark set by Wilt Chamberlain more than six decades ago.
How the numbers compare
Gilgeous-Alexander has produced 4,057 points, 582 rebounds and 803 assists during his 125-game run. Chamberlain’s streak, which stretched from December 1961 to January 1963, featured 6,193 points—an average of 49.2 per game—plus 3,230 rebounds and 306 assists.
While Gilgeous-Alexander has five 49-point performances in the span, Chamberlain topped that total 66 times, including his celebrated 100-point game.
Modern stars weigh in on Wilt’s legacy
Gilgeous-Alexander admits Chamberlain’s achievements feel “almost like a mythical creature.” Other current standouts echo that sentiment:
- Kevin Durant says he first became fascinated with Chamberlain’s statistics in middle school: “I couldn’t believe a guy would put up 50 points and 25 rebounds a game.”
- Nikola Jokić, who has surpassed Chamberlain for most triple-doubles by a center, researched YouTube clips to understand the Hall of Famer’s athleticism and believes Wilt “could still play in this era.”
- Joel Embiid, who broke Chamberlain’s Philadelphia 76ers scoring record with 70 points against San Antonio two seasons ago, hears frequent stories from longtime Philadelphia basketball figure Sonny Hill.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo learned about Chamberlain largely through the Netflix documentary “Bill Russell: Legend” and wonders how anyone contained him when even Russell admitted the task was “almost impossible.”
- Luka Dončić notes that virtually every major NBA record sheet still starts with Chamberlain: “Any time you hear somebody broke a record, it’s, ‘Wilt had it, too.’”
Records that still belong to “The Big Dipper”
Chamberlain retains numerous unreachable marks, including consecutive games of 30 points (65), 40 points (14) and 50 points (7); the only back-to-back 60-point outings; single-game highs of 100 points and 55 rebounds; and career totals of 23,924 rebounds and an average of 45.8 minutes per game.
At 7-foot-1 and 275 pounds, the former track and field standout dominated high school, college and professional basketball, ultimately finishing with 31,419 career points—a record that stood until 1984.
An enduring influence
Despite Chamberlain’s footprint, Hill—an 89-year-old Philadelphia basketball ambassador—laments that today’s players do not revere Wilt the way baseball players revere Babe Ruth. “He’s a mythical character who dominated his sport like no other,” Hill says, recalling Chamberlain’s appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” while still in high school.
Whether or not Gilgeous-Alexander ties or breaks Chamberlain’s 20-point streak, the Thunder star and his peers remain linked to a legend whose records continue to shape the conversation every time a new milestone approaches.
Source: ESPN.com
