San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama made history last week
"With 12 blocks in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the 22-year-old broke the official NBA record for most blocked shots in a playoff game.
Wemby’s block party came in a losing effort, but the team’s official social media account made sure to shout out the remarkable performance, posting a list of his Game 1 achievements, leading with the big one: “Most blocks ever in an NBA Playoffs game.”
From social media to national TV airwaves, Wembanyama’s historic defensive outing was a major talking point in NBA circles. The 7-foot-4 center had done something no other player had done before.
There’s just one problem.
Credible evidence is mounting that Wilt Chamberlain blocked way more shots in an NBA playoff game. There are documented reports that he bested Wembanyama’s “official record” multiple times.
Coincidentally, just days before Wembanyama’s record-setting night, groundbreaking data was unearthed and published on Basketball Reference, the leading sports statistics site, that suggests Chamberlain and others have topped 12 blocked shots in the playoffs. Unfortunately for those Hall of Fame rim protectors, the numbers are not considered official because they were registered before the 1973-74 season — the NBA’s first season of official block totals.
Heading into Game 6 of the West semifinal matchup Thursday, with the Spurs holding a 3-2 lead, Wembanyama has established himself as a playoff megastar on both ends, even tallying more blocks (22) than the entire Timberwolves roster in this series (19). But as Wembanyama begins to rewrite the history books, a mystery looms above the game’s preeminent shot-blocker and the sport at large:
Who really owns the NBA blocked-shot record?"
Written by: Tom Haberstroh
