On This Day (Feb. 16)

Notable events from NBA history that occurred on February 16.

Wilt Reaches 30K Points

On this day in 1972, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Wilt Chamberlain became the first player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points, scoring 19 points in a loss to the Phoenix Suns. There are now seven players in that illustrious group, but no one in NBA history has reached that mark in fewer games than Chamberlain:

• 941 — Wilt Chamberlain

• 960 — Michael Jordan

• 1,101 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

• 1,107 — LeBron James

• 1,152 — Karl Malone

• 1,180 — Kobe Bryant

• 1,377 — Dirk Nowitzki

It’s interesting to note that three of the players listed above — Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar, and Bryant — reached the 30,000-point mark playing for the Lakers.

Chamberlain retired following the 1972-73 season with 31,419 career points. That remained the NBA record until Kareem Abdul-Jabbar surpassed it on April 5, 1984.