The NBA has existed for more than 75 years at this point. As a result, the NBA has recorded decades of statistics that one can review. Some of these stats are quite fascinating. Here are the 10 most interesting NBA statistics.
10 Most Interesting NBA Statistics: Rasual Butler Committed a Turnover While Technically Playing Zero Minutes
It may seem nearly impossible to play zero minutes in an NBA game and commit a turnover. However, Rasual Butler did just that in a game where he played against the Los Angeles Lakers on February 12th, 2012. Rasual Butler was subbed into the game with four seconds left. He then earned a five-second violation for failing to inbound the ball in time.
After that, the Raptors subbed Rasual Butler out of the game. Since no one had inbounded the ball at that point, Butler’s final stats read one turnover and zero minutes played. It is safe to say this may never happen again in NBA history.
Rip Hamilton Scored 14 Points Without Making One Field Goal
Rip Hamilton is fairly well-known for his time with the Detroit Pistons, which included winning the 2004 NBA championship. However, one may not know that Hamilton once scored 14 points in a game without making a single field goal. Hamilton missed all 10 of his field goal attempts but made all 14 of his free throws.
As a result, Hamilton was the Pistons’ leading scorer in that game despite not making a single field goal. As you may expect, the Pistons lost that game to the Memphis Grizzlies 101-79 on January 6th, 2005. The Pistons shot an abysmal 31% from the field in that loss.
Dennis Rodman Had 28 Rebounds and Zero Points
Rodman’s rebounding prowess is obvious, given how many rebounding titles he won. However, in a 92-88 win against the Charlotte Hornets on December 1st, 1993, Rodman grabbed 28 rebounds. This isn’t too surprising, since Rodman may be the best rebounder in NBA history.
However, Rodman also scored zero points in that game, meaning that he has the distinction of grabbing the most rebounds in a game without scoring a single point. No NBA player has even grabbed 20 rebounds in a game without scoring in the last 10 years of NBA basketball.
10 Most Interesting NBA Statistics: CJ Watson’s ‘1 Game’
CJ Watson played for the Brooklyn Nets in a game against the Chicago Bulls on April 4th, 2013. The Bulls won 92-90. In that game, CJ Watson had a very rare stat line.
Watson recorded one turnover, one steal, one rebound, one assist, one point, and one block. He did this in his nine minutes played in that game. Since one field goal counts for two points in the NBA, this is another stat line that is unlikely to be replicated any time soon.
Tony Snell Plays 28 Minutes But Records Zeroes in All Other Stats
In 28 minutes, one would expect an NBA player to contribute in some statistical category. Tony Snell shattered those expectations in a 2017 game against the Utah Jazz. Snell had zero points, zero rebounds, zero assists, zero blocks, and zero steals while playing 28 minutes. Snell didn’t last long in the NBA.
10 Most Interesting NBA Statistics: Wilt Chamberlain Averaged 50 Points For An Entire Season
Scoring 50 points in a single NBA game is quite a feat, even given the high-scoring nature of the modern NBA. However, averaging 50 points per game for an entire season seems like something that is only possible in a video game. Wilt Chamberlain accomplished that feat in the 1961-62 NBA season, averaging 50.4 points in that season.
This is also the season where Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game. Modern NBA rules, such as the three-second rule, didn’t exist back then. These rules also mean that even an all-time great scorer will likely never come close to averaging 50 points per game ever again.
Draymond Green Had a Triple-Double With Four Points
Draymond Green is a controversial NBA player, beloved by Golden State Warriors fans and disliked by many other NBA fanbases. Green is also not known as much of a scorer, especially these days. In line with that general lack of scoring, Green once recorded a triple-double while scoring only four points.
Draymond Green had 12 rebounds, 10 steals, 10 assists, and four points in a Warriors win over the Grizzlies in 2017. In doing so, he became the first player in the history of the NBA to have a triple-double while scoring fewer than 10 points.
LeBron James Is the Only Player in NBA History With 40,000+ Points
Scoring even 10,000 points in an NBA career is impressive. However, LeBron James did more than that and now leads the NBA as its all-time top scorer. The Cavaliers drafted James in 2003 and James averages 27.1 points per game for his career. James has now scored 40,474 points in his NBA career.
That is more than 2,000 points greater than Kareem-Abdul Jabaar, who led the NBA in all-time career points for quite some time until James surpassed him on February 7th, 2023. James scored 38 points in that game to put his name in the record books. Additionally, James could still return for another NBA season, likely with the Lakers. As a result, his all-time career points could be even higher by the time he retires.
John Stockton Had 28 Assists in a Single Game
John Stockton is the NBA’s all-time leader in career assists. As a result, it is not surprising that he had 28 assists in a single game. He accomplished this feat in a game against the San Antonio Spurs on January 15th. 1991. This isn’t the record for most assists in a game, however.
Scott Skiles had 30 assists while playing for the Orlando Magic in a game against the Denver Nuggets on December 30, 1990. Still, Stockton’s 28 assists is an interesting statistic that few current NBA players even have a chance of matching.
Wilt Chamberlain Grabbed 55 Rebounds in a Game
In addition to scoring the most points in an NBA game, Wilt Chamberlain also has the distinction of grabbing the most rebounds in an NBA game. Chamberlain had 55 rebounds in a November 24, 1960 game against the Boston Celtics. The Celtics won that game against the then-Philadelphia Warriors 132-129. No one has come close to matching or surpassing Chamberlain’s 55 rebounds in a game in the 60+ years since then.
10 Most Interesting NBA Statistics: More Stats Are On the Way
Those were the 10 most interesting statistics in NBA history. There have been many shocking stat lines in NBA history and we wanted to discuss some of them. Check back soon for more surprising and interesting sports statistics.