If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Similarly, if Wilt Chamberlain blocked a bunch of shots and nobody was around to record them, did they actually happen?
Such are the questions asked on the heels of Joel Embiid's pair of Wilt-like performances over the weekend. After a relatively modest start to the 2022-23 season, the NBA's most dominant center emphatically announced his arrival.
First came Saturday's appetizer: 42 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a win over the Hawks. Then came Sunday's encore main course in which he served up 59 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocks.
Sunday's Philly special in particular sent the NBA world into a frenzy with the basketball community wondering what on earth they just witnessed. If you have a hard time remembering when the last time you saw something like that, you're forgiven for a simple reason.
Since blocks became official in 1973-74, Joel Embiid is the first player in NBA History to record 50+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists, and 5+ blocks in a game. https://t.co/xtwTgbCmmC
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) November 14, 2022
Well then!
Of course, the devil is in the details and in this case, "NBA history" only refers to "since 1973-74" which is when blocks became official.
That also just happened to be the year after Wilt Chamberlain retired, providing a convenient "post-Wilt" era. But while the official record books don't recognize The Big Dipper when it comes to blocks, those who saw him first-hand know that Chamberlain's defensive exploits match or perhaps even exceed his scoring prowess.
MORE: Five things you didn't know about Wilt's 100-point game
Thanks to nbastats.net's invaluable game logs — which includes all of his games at Kansas and even preseason NBA games — we have a far more comprehensive view on his career than what is kept in the record books.
Take, for instance, Embiid's achievement on Sunday.
Officially, it was the first game in NBA history in which a player recorded at least 50 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and five blocks. Unofficially, we know that Chamberlain did it himself an astounding 22 times... at least!
That's not the only manner Embiid conjured up memories of Wilt.
Two games. Two days. 101 points, 21 rebounds. 14 assists. Nine blocks. Not a bad 24 hours! We haven't seen that type of performance on back-to-back days in over 50 years. In fact, according to Stathead, Embiid became the first player with at least 100 points and 20 rebounds over two consecutive days since Chamberlain in 1967.
MORE: All of Wilt's unbreakable records
Embiid is just the third player ever to do that even once. Elgin Baylor did it three times. Chamberlain, because of course he did, strung together 35 such instances.
When it comes to scoring 100 points over any two-game stretch regardless of days between games, Embiid is just the fifth center ever to do it, joining DeMarcus Cousins, David Robinson, Bob McAdoo and — you guessed it — Chamberlain. While Cousins, Robinson and McAdoo each did it once, Chamberlain did it not once, not twice, not three times... but 85 times!
None of this is meant to pour water on Embiid's dominance. The NBA's reigning scoring champion and back-to-back MVP runner-up is finally finding his groove, a scary thought for the rest of the NBA.
But if this past weekend proved any larger point, it's that all NBA records officially — and unofficially — lead back to Wilt Chamberlain.
