Who could average 50 pts/g (efficiently) if their team allowed and needed it?

[Iceman#44]

Good one, La Frescobaldi!

I think that's the closest one so far...but i'm thinking about some ex-Nba players who play overseas back in the 80's...

Like i said before, american guard Everage Richardson scored 48.8 ppg in Germany (regional division tournament) if i remember in 2010, and this was the closest one to 50 point mark...but then Calvin Murphy's 48.9 ppg are even closer.

[tmacattack33]

MJ would come the closest. He had 37 ppg on good efficiency.

Next might be Durant.

[La Frescobaldi]

Good one, La Frescobaldi!

I think that's the closest one so far...but i'm thinking about some ex-Nba players who play overseas back in the 80's...

Like i said before, american guard Everage Richardson scored 48.8 ppg in Germany (regional division tournament) if i remember in 2010, and this was the closest one to 50 point mark...but then Calvin Murphy's 48.9 ppg are even closer.

So actually our little inquiry here seems to be making that '62 season even MORE impressive.

Because as far as we have been able to determine, nobody, at any level, ever, in the history of basketball, has been able to score 50 ppg for a full season. Except for Chamberlain.

Easy high school leagues, European national leagues, college, pros, NBA. 1920s, 1950s, 1980s, 2000s. Any other NBA player who ever suited up at any level. Nobody else ever did it.... but in his day, he did it at the highest level in the world.
Era doesn't matter, size of league doesn't matter, level of play doesn't matter? Just 1 guy has ever done it?

Has anybody got any record of a full season with a higher PPG than Chamberlain's '62 season?

[Psileas]

So actually our little inquiry here seems to be making that '62 season even MORE impressive.

Because as far as we have been able to determine, nobody, at any level, ever, in the history of basketball, has been able to score 50 ppg for a full season. Except for Chamberlain.

Easy high school leagues, European national leagues, college, pros, NBA. 1920s, 1950s, 1980s, 2000s. Any other NBA player who ever suited up at any level. Nobody else ever did it.... but in his day, he did it at the highest level in the world.
Era doesn't matter, size of league doesn't matter, level of play doesn't matter? Just 1 guy has ever done it?

Has anybody got any record of a full season with a higher PPG than Chamberlain's '62 season?

It's worth looking at what some have averaged in the Philippines. I don't know about 50, but I know of some insane productivity going on there at times.

PS. Scratch my uncertainty: Billy Ray Bates DID average 50+ in the Philippines: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Ray_Bates

[La Frescobaldi]

It's worth looking at what some have averaged in the Philippines. I don't know about 50, but I know of some insane productivity going on there at times.

PS. Scratch my uncertainty: Billy Ray Bates DID average 50+ in the Philippines: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Ray_Bates

cool! so there's 1 so far, in the Phillipines.

[Psileas]

Make it 2, also in the Philippines (in 14 games):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Black

[La Frescobaldi]

Make it 2, also in the Philippines (in 14 games):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Black

14 games that's no kind of mark at all. Dang is that what the other guy did too?
Hardly worth bothering with compared to 50ppg 25 rpg and 48 mpg for 80 darn games is it?

[Psileas]

14 games that's no kind of mark at all. Dang is that what the other guy did too?
Hardly worth bothering with compared to 50ppg 25 rpg and 48 mpg for 80 darn games is it?

Bear in mind though, no other league that I know of consists of anywhere near to the NBA's 82 games. The PBA has a somewhat bizarre setting anyway, a couple of people here should know more about this.

PS. No, Bates played more. Look at the stats included in the article.

[pauk]

In 1985 season (KK Cibona, Euro) Drazen Petrovic averaged 43 PPG and for all his 4 years there he averaged 38 PPG, with personal best of 112 points (most points scored by an individual in a league game) and 62 points, respectively.... Drazen could have easily averaged 50 PPG if he wanted to in any of those Euro League teams, but was i guess busy racking up assists aswell (played alot of PG).

What a shame he didnt come to the NBA earlier, in his peak/prime, he would guaranteed been a ~30 ppg pure shooter in the NBA in the mid/late 80s.

[secund2nun]

I'd say a dominant post player like Shaq would have the best shot at it. Just feed him the ball every single possession in the post.

[secund2nun]

This is the same kind of thing people were saying in 1959. Somebody showed up and changed their reality for them. Point? We don't know what the future holds.

But as far as your exact statement? Yeah, nobody in the league today that could do it. None of the current players are athletic enough to do it.

Just for starters nobody has the stamina to play the kind of minutes you'd have to play to get those kinds of numbers.

No one is scoring 50 PPG efficiently today. Wilt's 50/25 statline was a fake statline against weak talent and a extremely fast pace in no games where no defense was played. If he played today Wilt would average 20 something ppg and top out near 30.

Shaq would get 50+ ppg back then, but in the modern NBA he topped out at just under 30 PPG.

Whenever you have a 50/25 statline you know that the talent level is a joke. It's like putting Adrian Petersen back in HS. He would average 600 rushing yards per game aka fake stats. Or putting a 18 year old in a 7 year old bball league.

50/25 means that Wilt was ahead of his time. It does not mean he is a super man God who can score 50 PPG today, let alone 40 PPG.

[La Frescobaldi]

No one is scoring 50 PPG efficiently today. Wilt's 50/25 statline was a fake statline against weak talent and a extremely fast pace in no games where no defense was played. If he played today Wilt would average 20 something ppg and top out near 30.

Shaq would get 50+ ppg back then, but in the modern NBA he topped out at just under 30 PPG.

Whenever you have a 50/25 statline you know that the talent level is a joke. It's like putting Adrian Petersen back in HS. He would average 600 rushing yards per game aka fake stats. Or putting a 18 year old in a 7 year old bball league.

50/25 means that Wilt was ahead of his time. It does not mean he is a super man God who can score 50 PPG today, let alone 40 PPG.

Dude I get it okay? I've been hearing that line my whole life - and I watched Chamberlain play the second half of his career.
I would bet a lot of money that Shaquille O'Neal could not trade places with Wilt Chamberlain in 1962 and put up those same numbers.A lot of money. Great as Shaq was, I saw enough of Chamberlain before he wrecked his knee to know that Shaq just didn't have a motor like that. Great player, awesome force inside but no way could he show that kind of stamina and no way could Shaq run that much.
Sorry but just no f'ing way.

[secund2nun]

Dude I get it okay? I've been hearing that line my whole life - and I watched Chamberlain play the second half of his career.
I would bet a lot of money that Shaquille O'Neal could not trade places with Wilt Chamberlain in 1962 and put up those same numbers.A lot of money. Great as Shaq was, I saw enough of Chamberlain before he wrecked his knee to know that Shaq just didn't have a motor like that. Great player, awesome force inside but no way could he show that kind of stamina and no way could Shaq run that much.
Sorry but just no f'ing way.

Let's say that Wilt was better than Shaq ( I disagree though), even then what I say still stands. Shaq would then get 45, or 43 PPG back then and Wilt today would get 30-33 PPG. Either way, Wilt's stats back then have to be kept in context.

[La Frescobaldi]

Let's say that Wilt was better than Shaq ( I disagree though), even then what I say still stands. Shaq would then get 45, or 43 PPG back then and Wilt today would get 30-33 PPG. Either way, Wilt's stats back then have to be kept in context.

Yeah. Context.

One very serious context is no other player, anywhere, ever, in the history of basketball did that.
Until you can show me some proof that there has been another athlete that could rebound like that man, let alone score like that.... I'll have to say people are grasping desperately at anything to belittle his accomplishments. And since they can't find any way to do that..... the league must have been too easy.
Since nobody else came within 20 points of him they were all scrubs.
Even though I saw dozens of those guys play later in their careers and they were great.... For that 1 season, they were a joke. Right?

[CavaliersFTW]

Yeah. Context.

One very serious context is no other player, anywhere, ever, in the history of basketball did that.
Until you can show me some proof that there has been another athlete that could rebound like that man, let alone score like that.... I'll have to say people are grasping desperately at anything to belittle his accomplishments. And since they can't find any way to do that..... the league must have been too easy.
Since nobody else came within 20 points of him they were all scrubs.
Even though I saw dozens of those guys play later in their careers and they were great.... For that 1 season, they were a joke. Right?

I guarantee you your arguing with a guy who knows very little about the subject at hand. It seems like his entire argument is based on a stigma and a reputation.

The stigma that Wilt's era must = weak because his stats don't make sense and it's easier to believe that. (actual research and game film study takes WAY too much effort - and is difficult to do in lieu of the limited footage of Wilt's time)

The reputation that Shaq = Most dominant force ever (though, only to the people who write off Wilt's era as weak. This reputation requires the previous stigma to already be believed - as Wilt was clearly the more dominant player)

Nobody who actually has witnessed both eras or takes the time to study the game thoroughly enough to go as far back as Wilt's time would be saying the things he says. A reasonable person in his situation at best should simply say "Well, I haven't seen enough of that era so I won't comment on that". I don't get why people with such limited exposure try to be experts on the subject, heck I've seen as much "footage" as possible and even I know I'm only seeing a scratch of the surface of basketball from that time through a very small window. Knowing how many years and gigabytes of HDD space it has taken to get to this point I doubt he's seen 1/16th of what I've seen about Wilt alone, let alone that entire era and he's acting like he can fairly compare Wilt with Shaq