Sixty-five years ago today, Wilt Chamberlain authored the greatest rebounding performance in NBA history, collecting 55 boards for the Philadelphia Warriors in a 132–129 defeat to the Boston Celtics. The box score from Nov. 24, 1960 remains a monument to dominance: Chamberlain played all 48 minutes, added 34 points and four assists, and set a single-game rebounding record that has never been matched.
The context was as compelling as the numbers. Chamberlain faced his great rival Bill Russell in a game that swung back and forth before Boston closed it out late, a classic of the era that showcased two centers redefining the sport. Archival accounts and reconstructed box scores confirm the 55 rebounds, 34 points, and full game played.
Chamberlain’s campaign that season only deepened the legend. He amassed 2,149 rebounds across 79 games in 1960–61, averaging 27.2 per game, both single-season records that still stand.
The durability of the record has become part of its mystique. Generations of elite rebounders have challenged single-game highs, but Chamberlain’s 55 has held firm, referenced annually in “on this day” histories and statistical retrospectives that revisit the Warriors-Celtics box and the Big Dipper’s towering presence in the lane.
As the anniversary returns, the performance reads less like a trivia note and more like a window into an era – pace, shot distribution, and the centrality of the post – where a singular force could bend outcomes. Chamberlain’s 55 remains a fixed point in the record book and a living piece of basketball lore, a feat so outsized that it continues to frame conversations about rebounding greatness six-and-a-half decades later.
Wilt Chamberlain’s 55-Rebound Game
65 years ago today, Wilt grabbed 55 rebounds in a 132-129 loss at Boston. Wilt spoke about that game but probably mis-remembered (©️ Roger Clemens) because in the video he says that it helped them win. All records I can see show that they lost… pic.twitter.com/LjYTEBXmLC
— Apex Jones (@ApexJones22) November 24, 2025
