Throughout NBA history, there have been several records that stood through the test of time. But given that the league continues to evolve competitively due to the growing number of talent from around the world, there's no question that even the toughest records eventually get broken.
In fact, we recently witnessed how the Philadelphia 76ers defied the odds by becoming the first team to overcome a 20-point halftime deficit in their home opener, eventually winning the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106. It was also the largest comeback in franchise history. For this piece, let's take a look at 25 NBA records that were once considered impossible to break.
Most franchises played for by a player
Since the end of the 2001-02 season, Chucky Brown held the record for most franchises played for with 12, throughout his 13-year NBA career. However, that record was eventually broken 20 years later by Ish Smith, who joined the Denver Nuggets in 2022-23, where he won a championship. Furthermore, there's a good chance that Smith won't be alone in holding that record. Germany's ace, Dennis Schroder, was traded to the Hornets and has suited up for his 12th team during the 2026-27 season.
Most 3-pointers in a single season by Ray Allen
It's crazy to think that there was a time when Ray Allen's 269 3-pointers in the 2005-06 season seemed untouchable. With the NBA moving on to the three-point revolution, no one expected that record to be broken so easily. Since then, several players have broken that record more than once. The list includes, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, LaMelo Ball, Klay Thompson, James Harden, Paul George, Malik Beasley, Anthony Edwards, Buddy Hield Donte DiVincenzo, Kon Knueppel, and Duncan Robinson.
Highest free throw percentage in a season
For over two decades, Calvin Murphy's free throw record was invincible. During the 1980-81 season, he shot 95.8% from the charity stripe. But surprisingly, that record was broken nearly three decades later, during the 2008-09 season. Spanish point guard, Jose Calderon posted 98.1% from the free throw line, while playing for the Toronto Raptors. He only missed three out of 154 attempts.
Highest career free throw percentage
In terms of career free throw percentage, there was no doubt that Hall of Famer Steve Nash solidified himself as one of the best shooters in history. Throughout his 18-year NBA career, Nash shot a 90.4% clip from the line. Although that was a tough record to surpass, Stephen Curry continues to prove that he's arguably the best shooter in the world. The Golden State Warriors star is shooting 91.3% from the stripe.
Oldest NBA player to score 50 points
One of Michael Jordan's impressive feats during his career was scoring 51 points for the Washington Wizards during the 2001-02 season. He did it at 38 years and 315 days old. Although it seemed like no one will beat that record, Jamal Crawford defied the odds by scoring 51 points of his own at 39 years and 20 days old. He shot 18-of-30 from the field.
Kobe Bryant's 12 3-pointers in a game
In a game against the Seattle Supersonics in the 2002-03 season, Kobe Bryant fired 45 points, spiked by 12-of-18 shooting from rainbow country. 12 3s easily set the record and lasted for over a decade. While it was tied by various players since then, it was eventually broken by Stephen Curry in the 2016-17 season with 13. Since then, Damian Lillard, Zach LaVine, and Klay Thompson have followed suit. Thompson currently holds the record with 14, after going off for 52 points against the Chicago Bulls in the 2018-19 season.
Youngest player to get a triple-double
For quite some time, LeBron James ruled the NBA since his 2003-04 rookie season. The former top overall pick was the Chosen One for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In fact, he once stamped his class by dropping 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists when he was only 20 years and 20 days old.
The record went untouched for a dozen years, until Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball registered 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists five days younger than James was. Since then, several young players have claimed a triple-double earlier including the likes of Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, Markelle Fultz, Josh Giddey, and most recently Memphis Grizzlies rookie Cam Boozer.
Ray Allen's 2,973 career 3-point field goals
When Ray Allen overtook Reggie Miller in career 3s, it felt like the Hall of Famer solidified his place as the best shooter in league history. He would go on to retire with 2,973 threes under his belt after retiring during the 2014 offseason. Although that was a remarkable feat, his place in the 3-point rankings would eventually knocked off by Stephen Curry, who currently has over 4,000 threes to his name. On the other hand, Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden would sink Allen down to the third spot after breaking the 3,000 mark.
Most consecutive games with a 3-pointer
Many NBA fans remember when Kyle Korver as one of the best pure shooters of the game, when he broke the NBA record for most consecutive games with at least a single 3-point field goal, racking up 127 straight games. Although it was celebrated, Stephen Curry once again erased the record with ease, storming up to 268 straight games with at least one 3-pointer.
Registering a quadruple-double
Until today, quadruple-doubles are rare. However, there was a time when they didn't even exist because no one thought it was ever possible to tally 10 marks across four different departments of the game individually. Everything changed in the 1974-75 season, when Nate Thurmond posted 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, and 12 blocks against the Chicago Bulls. Since then, only three players have followed suit. The rest of the short list includes Alvin Robertson, David Robinson, and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Dwight Howard's 39 free-throw attempts
Since the 2012-13 season, no one has attempted more free throws than Dwight Howard in a single game with 39. However, Bam Adebayo recently erased that record by accumulating 43 attempts in his historic outing against the Washington Wizards at the 2025-26 season. Adebayo exploded for a franchise record of 83 points, while making 36-of-43 from the charity stripe. His 36 free-throw makes also surpassed Adrian Dantley's record of 28 in a game.
Biggest blowout in NBA history at 68
NBA teams getting blown out by as much as 60 points does happen. But the last time a team was blown out by as much as 68 points, formerly the biggest losing margin ever, happened back in 1991 when the Miami Heat fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers 148-80. The record stood for three decades until the Memphis Grizzlies trashed the Oklahoma City Thunder, 152-79. The 73-point beatdown currently the biggest blowout in NBA history.
Wilt Chamberlain's 20+ point streak
Every NBA fan knows that Wilt Chamberlain holds a chunk of the league's records. In fact, he also holds the record for most consecutive games with at least 20 points at 126 games. The record lasted for 63 years until Oklahoma City Thunder star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander surpassed the record during the 2025-26 season. The 2024-25 NBA MVP made it 141 games before his streak was snapped earlier this season.
Most points scored in a single quarter
There's no doubt that a single quarter can make a huge difference in a game. In fact, George Gervin first proved that when he exploded for 33 points in a game against the Utah Jazz during the 1977-78 season. Since then, no one surpassed that mark in a single quarter until Klay Thompson exploded for 37 points in the third period against the Sacramento Kings to propel the Golden State Warriors to a 126-101 victory in 2015.
Oscar Robertson's triple-double season
Widely known as the “Big O”, Oscar Robertson established himself as an all-around player. In the 1961-62 season, he became the first player to average a triple-double during the regular season. For several decades, many basketball fans believed that no other player will be able to replicate the same feat.
Russell Westbrook proved everyone wrong. The former NBA MVP actually achieved the feat four times in his decorated 18-year career. If that isn't enough, former teammate and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is also making the same push, having already registered two seasons with triple-double averages.
Oscar Robertson's career triple-double total
Given that Oscar Robertson was once the king of triple-doubles, everyone accepted that he was in his own league. But with the emergence of Russell Westbrook and Nikola Jokic, one can no longer say the same about the Big O. Westbrook surpassed Robertson's record of 181 triple-doubles, eventually finishing with 209 which is the current NBA record. However, Jokic is not far too behind, with 200 and counting.
Most points in an NBA All-Star Game
Throughout NBA history, the NBA All-Star Game has always been regarded has a mid-season exhibition game that featured all of the league's brightest stars. With several stars rarely giving their full effort, Wilt Chamberlain set the All-Star Game record with 42 points, a record that stood since 1962. The record would only fall at the 2017 All-Star Game, when Anthony Davis finished the festivities with 52 points. Since then, other players that scored the half-century mark in the games include Stephen Curry, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jayson Tatum. Tatum currently holds the record for most points in an All-Star Game with 55.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 19 All-Star Game Appearances
When it comes to longevity, there was no question that it was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who set the bar. The former Los Angeles Lakers star accumulated a total of 19 All-Star Game selections, a clear manifestation of his ageless ability to play at a high level throughout his career. It took 34 years before the record finally fell through. The record was broken by none other than LeBron James, who has consistently earned All-Star nods in all but his rookie season. The Philadelphia 76ers star currently has 22 to his name.
Article Continues BelowKareem Abdul-Jabbar's 15 All-NBA Team selections
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was also collecting All-NBA selections. He collected a total of 15 All-NBA appearances, another testament to his longevity. The only player who could do better is LeBron James. James surpassed Kareem in All-NBA teams with 21. This meant that the Sixers star only missed the All-NBA Team three times in his career.
Michael Jordan's consecutive games scoring in double figures
Finishing games consistently in double figures is more difficult than it looks. In fact, Michael Jordan lasted 866 games of scoring at least 10 points. The record stood since 2001, and no player surpassed that until LeBron James beat the record during the 2017-18 season. To make matters more impressive, James extended the record to 1,297 games, making it even more unbreakable.
Fastest triple-double in NBA history
Getting a triple-double is no easy feat. However, registering one as fast as possible takes the difficulty to a whole new level. At one point, Jim Tucker registered the fastest triple-double for the Syracuse Nationals at 17 minutes in 1955. It seemed like an impossible feat to replicate, especially in the modern era. But given Nikola Jokic's fine play for the Denver Nuggets, anything was possible. The Serbian center outdid Tucker, 63 years later, by posting a triple-double in his first 14 minutes of action.
Most blocks in a single playoff game
Defense is the name of the game in the playoffs. As a result, the San Antonio Spurs banked on the 2026 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Victor Wembanyama during the postseason. Since 1985, nobody had more than 10 blocks in a playoff game, which was a record set by Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton. In Game 1 of the 2026 Western Conference Finals, the Spurs star swatted away 12 shots to log himself in the history books.
1995-96 Chicago Bulls' 72-win season
It was established in every basketball fan's mind that the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls had the most dominant season in NBA history when they posted a 72-10 record en route to a championship. Since then, no NBA team came close to the record until the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors made a challenge. The Warriors kicked off the season with a 24 game-winning streak and finished the year with a new record of 73 wins. But unfortunately, Golden State failed to secure the NBA championship that year, after allowing Cleveland to storm back from a 3-1 hole in the NBA Finals.
Most games played
From 1976-1997, Robert Parish played 21 seasons in the NBA, appearing in a total of 1,611 games, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who played in 1,560 outings. Matching that effort requires a level of consistency and longevity. Enter LeBron James, who already has 1,627 and counting to his name. The newly-acquired Philly star is expected to extend his games tally, which would make this record even more unreachable in the future.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time NBA scoring record
Speaking of LeBron James, it was merely a theoretical conversation back in the day, on who will get to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record. After all, scoring 38,387 career points looked unattainable, as the record had stood since 1989. It was in the 2022-23 season, when James finally answered all the questions, thanks to a midrange jumper in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. As of this writing, the Sixers star is the lone player in the 40,000-point club. In the process, he also surpassed Kareem in terms of career field goals made.