Presented is an opportunity to secure a piece of
floorboard from one of the most astounding - and unusual - games in
basketball history, the March 2, 1962, game when Wilt Chamberlain, the
Big Dipper, of the Philadelphia Warriors, dropped 100 points against the
New York Knicks. The game was a "home" game for the Warriors held at
the Hershey Sports Arena (where the Warriors occasional played) in
Hershey, Pennsylvania. Chamberlain averaged an incredible 50.4 PPG in
'62, and in December he had already broken the existing NBA single game
scoring record of 71 by scoring 78 points. Wilt was playing against
back-up centers on the Knicks because the team's starting center, Phil
Jordan, was reported sick. By halftime, Wilt had 41 points. In the
Warriors' locker room at the half, point guard Guy Rodgers said to the
team, "Let's get the ball to Dip. Let's see how many points he can get."
By the end of the quarter, Chamberlain had 69 points, and the Warriors
had a 125-106 lead. Soon, the focus was already on a possible 100 points
even before Chamberlain soon broke his own 78-point scoring record. The
Knicks ran out time on offense just so the Warriors would have less
chance to break the record. In turn, the Warriors, to get more time to
help Wilt's quest, began to foul the Knicks as soon as New York had
possession. With less than a minute in the game, Chamberlain had 98
points. Then Wilt got a basket to reach 100 points with 46 seconds to go
in the game, either on a lay-in or a dunk, accounts differ, and there
is no film or tape of the game. Chamberlain was then living in Harlem,
in New York City, and he hitched a ride back to New York with Knick
forward Johnny Green and two other Knicks. Chamberlain playfully
recalled, "... the Knicks... thought I was asleep. They said, 'That
[expletive deleted] scored a hundred points on us.'" Because the crowd
was so small, and with the passage of time, ticket stubs, programs and
other memorabilia to this historic game are very rare. The piece of
floorboard (measuring 1.75x2") comes with two black and white photos.
One photo, shot after the game (7.5x9.5") depicts Chamberlain
holding up a handmade sign reading "100." The other photo (5.75x6.75"), time and place unknown, shows Wilt about to dunk. A (2.75x3.75") "plaque" in the display reads "Wilt Chamberlain sets the
single-game scoring record in the NBA by scoring 100 points for the
Philadelphia Warriors in a 169-147 win over the New York Knicks. March
2, 1962, Hershey Sports Arena/In Hershey, Pennsylvania/Attendance -
4,124." Another plaque-like item (2.75x1.75") in the display reads
"Authentic floorboard Hershey Sports Arena 1962 - Hershey, PA." The
entire matted and framed display measures 15.25x21.25". The piece of
floorboard, and the attractive display that commemorates this iconic
game, will enhance any sports assemblage.