The NBA is littered with the best basketball talents from around the world. As a result, every moment in the league always opens the possibility for greatness.
For this piece, let's take a look at 30 NBA feats that have happened only once in league history.
Overcoming a 20-point halftime deficit in a home opener
The Philadelphia 76ers' home opener had a lot of basketball fans excited, since it was also LeBron James' home debut. It was a slow start to the James era at first, as the Sixers stared at a 69-45 deficit against the Cavaliers, going down by as many as 29 points. However, a hot second-half turned things around, as Philadelphia would go on to outscore Cleveland 69-36 after the break. The Sixers became the first team to buck in a 20-point halftime deficit in their home opener. Previously, teams who enjoyed a 20-point halftime lead were 65-0 on opening night.
100 points scored by a player in a game
Until this day, no other player has ever reached the triple-digit mark with exception to Wilt Chamberlain. In the 1961-62 season, Chamberlain registered 100 points on 36-of-63 shooting and 28-of-32 from the free throw line to help the Philadelphia Warriors defeat the New York Knicks. The only other player to ever come close in the recent years is Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo, who exploded for 83 points against the Washington Wizards in the 2025-26 season.
30-assists by a player in a game
In a battle between cellar dwellers in 1990-91, the Orlando Magic found their groove against the Denver Nuggets, in a 155-116 win. But in that blowout victory, Scott Skiles rewrote the history books. The Magic guard dished out 30 assists in 44 minutes of play. To this day, it's the only time in the NBA when a player reached the 30-assist mark in a single game.
55 rebounds by a player in a single game
As one of the most dominant centers in the NBA back in the day, Wilt Chamberlain also naturally dominated the boards. In fact, he set the record during the 1960-61 season by showing his might against Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics. Although the Philadelphia Warriors fell 132-129, Chamberlain stood out by grabbing 55 rebounds to go along with 34 points and eight blocks. No other player in NBA history has sniffed 50.
14 3s in a single game by a player
For quite some time, Kobe Bryant's 12 3-pointers in a game was the standard. It took more than a decade for another player to surpass that mark, and that player was Stephen Curry. However, he was soon surpassed by his Splash Brother, Klay Thompson. Thompson racked up 52 points, drilling 14-of-24 3-pointers to propel the Golden State Warriors to a dominant 149-124 win and break his teammate's record in the process.
17 blocks in a single game by a player
Elmore Smith isn't the flashiest name you'd notice in the Los Angeles Lakers' record books. However, his defensive presence was felt all throughout the 1973-74 season. Averaging a league-best 4.9 blocks per game, Smith put his defensive arsenal on full display in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers by swatting away 17 shots, which is a record that continues to hold until today.
10 steals in a playoff game
There's no doubt that Allen Iverson established himself as one of the best guards in NBA history. But while he's known for his scoring prowess, Iverson proved that he also had some defensive chops when it mattered most. In Game 3 of their first round matchup against the Orlando Magic in the 1999 NBA Playoffs, Iverson torched the Magic for 33 points. He also added a playoff record 10 steals. It is the first and only time a player finished in double-digits in the steals category in postseason play.
73-point blowout win
The NBA is a competitive league. Although blowouts happen every now and then, the Memphis Grizzlies capitalized on a rebuilding Oklahoma City Thunder squad like no other. The Grizzlies, led by Jaren Jackson Jr., crushed the Thunder 152-79 in 2021. The 73-point win is the largest margin in NBA history. It's also the only time a NBA team lost by at least 70 points.
36-point comeback
Comeback moments are always a sight to see. It was easily the case for the Utah Jazz when they erased a 36-point Denver Nuggets lead during the 1996-97 season. Karl Malone and John Stockton helped mount the historic comeback, as they combined for 60 points, 19 rebounds, and 16 assists to help Utah squeeze out the 107-103 win.
37 points in a single quarter
Every quarter can change the complexion of a game. However, no one has changed it quite like Klay Thompson. In the third period against the Sacramento Kings during the 2014-15 season, the then-Warriors guard exploded for 37 points.He went 13-of-13 from the field, including nine 3-pointers. Thompson finished the historic evening with 52 points to help the Golden State Warriors secure a 126-101 victory
33-game winning streak
Mounting a winning streak is one of the best ways to keep a team's momentum going in the tough regular season. However, the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers proved their dominance by carving out a 33-game winning streak during the season, which lasted for 65 days. It's the longest winning streak in American professional sports history. Naturally, the team would also go on to win the championship that season.
Finishing a season with 50 point per game average
Wilt Chamberlain not only holds the record for most points in a single game. In fact, the 7-foot-1 center also owns the record for the highest points per game average in a single season. In the 1961-62 season, the same year he tallied a 100-point outing, Chamberlain averaged a league-best and record-breaking 50.4 points per contest. It's unlikely the record will be replicated or broken anytime soon in the modern era.
11 NBA championships by a player
Although Chamberlain owned plenty of statistical records, it was his rival Bill Russell who collected more championship hardware. As the centerpiece of the Boston Celtics dynasty in the 60s, Russell helped carried Boston to 11 NBA championships. Coincidentally, two of those championships were won when he was the team's playing coach. Since then, no other player has collected as much as 10 rings in the league.
11 NBA championships by a coach
While Bill Russell was in his own class as a player in terms of championships, Phil Jackson reached the same number of championships as a coach. After winning two rings as a player, Jackson would carve out a successful coaching career. He guided the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls to a pair of successful three-peat runs, to go along with another three-peat victory with Shaquille O'Neal's Los Angeles Lakers. The decorated head coach enjoyed another back-to-back championship run with the Kobe Bryant-led Purple and Gold. Since then, no other head coach has accumulated this amount of rings.
Winning both NBA MVP and Most Improved Player in a career
The Milwaukee Bucks knew from the beginning that Giannis Antetokounmpo was a special prospect from Greece. After patiently molding him into their franchise superstar, Giannis would go on to take over the NBA. He would win the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 2017 before earning back-to-back MVP honors in 2019 and 2020. As a result, the current Miami Heat star is the lone player in league history to earn both awards.
Winning scoring title and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season
Getting it done on both ends of the floor is a tough ask from any player, even the elite ones. In fact, only one player in NBA history has ever earned the scoring title and the Defensive Player of the Year Award in the same season. The lone player is no other than the GOAT himself, Michael Jordan.
His Airness averaged a league-best 35.0 points per game to become the NBA scoring champion in 1988. On the other hand, Jordan also led the league in steals with 3.2 per game, a statistic that earned him the Defensive Player of the Year Award. However, it did raise some eyebrows for some fans.
Winning a Finals MVP while playing for the losing team
For quite some time, the NBA Finals MVP Award has always been given to the best player from the championship team. However, it's worth noting that the first Finals MVP Award was actually given to a player from the losing team, Jerry West.
In the 1969 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics dispatched the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. Although the Celtics won the championship, West took Finals MVP honors. He averaged 37.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game in the series. It marked the only time a player from the losing team earned the award, which West admitted made him embarrased.
73 wins in a NBA season
The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls were the gold standard for quite some time, having owned the history books by posting a 72-10 record. Since then, no team came close except the Golden State Warriors. Fresh off of winning the 2015 NBA championship, Stephen Curry and the Warriors carved out a dominant year, kicking off the 2015-16 season with a 24-game winning streak. Golden State would finish the year with 73 wins and only nine losses. It's currently the best record ever posted by a team in a regular season.
3-1 NBA Finals comeback
Although the Golden State Warriors made history with 73 wins in that 2015-16 season, it's safe to say that they ran out of gas during the playoffs. After dominating the regular season and the Western Conference, a Finals rematch prevented the Warriors from winning back-to-back titles. The Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, climbed out of a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals, becoming the first and only team to do so.
Asian player becomes the No. 1 overall pick
It's quite rare to see a basketball player from Asia make waves in the NBA. However, if you ask anyone who is the GOAT in Asia, the easy answer is Yao Ming. Throughout NBA history, Yao remains as the only Asian player to be selected first overall in the NBA Draft. The Chinese standout was selected as the top pick at the 2002 NBA Draft. He would go on to become an eight time NBA All-Star and earned five All-NBA selections.
Reaching 40,000 career points
After chasing down Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's total career points, LeBron James is currently the leading scorer in NBA history. To make matters more impressive, James has also become the lone player to be in the 40,000 points club. It remains to be seen whether which players in the future will join him. But for now, the Sixers star is in his own class.
Making 4,000 career 3-pointers
There's no question that Stephen Curry has made a strong argument that he's the best shooter in NBA history. The Golden State Warriors star has broken many shooting records. In fact, he's currently at the top spot when it comes to all-time 3-point field goals made. To make matters more interesting, Curry is already over 4,000 field goals from rainbow country and remains the only player in that club.
Article Continues Below21 All-NBA Team selections
For quite some time, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ruled the all time number of All-NBA Team selections with 15. He was arguably the poster-boy for longevity and scoring. But apart from his career scoring record being broken by LeBron James, his All-NBA Team selections were also surpassed by The King. James has already racked up 21 All-NBA Team selections in his career, and no other active player comes close for now.
22 All-Star selections
Speaking of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's longevity, he also led all names in terms of All-Star Game selections with 19. While others came close, only LeBron James has surpassed him in this category. The Sixers star has already accumulated 22 All-Star Game selections and could possibly extend that this year.
1,297 consecutive games with 10+ points by a player
Scoring double-digits for consecutive games is easier than one would think. Avoiding injuries, ejections, and etc. are taken into consideration when keeping that streak alive. In fact, Michael Jordan stayed consistent by scoring at least 10 points in 866 straight games. Although that's a lot of games, LeBron James surpassed that number and extended his streak all the way to 1,297.
6 Finals MVPs
Michael Jordan is regarded as the GOAT for many basketball fans. The biggest argument was leading the Chicago Bulls to a pair of successful three-peat runs, where he was named the Finals MVP six times. Since then, Jordan has remained untouchable. The next closest to him is no other than LeBron James with four.
Finals MVP with 3 different teams
Speaking of LeBron James, he's the only player to have earned Finals MVP awards with three different franchises. He won his first two championships and Finals MVPs with the Miami Heat in back-to-back fashion, before winning his historic third with the Cleveland Cavaliers. James collected his fourth ring and NBA Finals MVP with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2019-20 season inside the NBA Bubble.
30-20-20 game
Earning a triple-double is already a daunting task. However, there's no question that Nikola Jokic achieved arguably the most difficult triple-double the league has ever seen. In fact, the Denver Nuggets star registered 31 points, 21 rebounds, and 22 assists in a hard-fought 149-141 overtime victory against the Phoenix Suns during the 2024-25 season. While 20-20-20 games happened twice, it marked the first time a player posted a 30-20-20 stat line.
Father-son duo playing together
After the Los Angeles Lakers drafted Bronny James in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, it marked the first time the league witnessed a father becoming teammates with his son. During the 2024 season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, it was made official when the younger James checked into the game.
A rookie winning the Finals MVP Award
Until this day, no one has carved out a more explosive rookie season than Magic Johnson. Drafted first overall in 1979 by the Los Angeles Lakers, Johnson immediately made his presence felt as a blue-chip rookie. The unorthodox 6-foot-9 star not only emerged as the Rookie of the Year winner, but also led the Purple and Gold to the 1980 NBA Championship with him crowned as the Finals MVP. He averaged 21.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game to become the only player to take home the award during his rookie season.