5 Oldest NBA players to score 60 points in a game

LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers controls the ball against Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors during the 2018 NBA Finals.
LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers controls the ball against Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors during the 2018 NBA Finals.

#3 Wilt Chamberlain: 66 points at 32 years and 172 days

Wilt Chamberlain throws it down for the LA Lakers
Wilt Chamberlain throws it down for the LA Lakers

With his 60-point effort against the Cincinnati Royals, Wilt Chamberlain owned the record for the oldest player to reach 60 points in NBA history. Just 14 days after that performance, he put up 66 points and 27 rebounds in a win over the Phoenix Suns.

That outing was the four-time MVP's final 60-point performance of his illustrious career and the 32nd time he scored at least 60 points. It is also the only game in NBA history in which a player scored exactly 66 points.


#2 Stephen Curry: 62 points at 32 years and 295 days

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.

Stephen Curry received a lot of criticism after a rough start to the 2020-21 NBA season for the Golden State Warriors and some bad shooting nights from deep.

After losing to the Portland Trail Blazers by 25 points on January 1st, the two teams met again on January 3rd, and the two-time NBA MVP exploded for a career-high 62 points. Curry made 18 field goals made out of 31 attempts and eight three-pointers made.

He also made 18 of his 19 free throws that night and broke his previous career-high of 54 points that stood since 2013.

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#1 Kobe Bryant: 60 points at 37 years and 234 days

Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers waves to the crowd after scoring 60 points against the Utah Jazz
Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers waves to the crowd after scoring 60 points against the Utah Jazz

The late, great Kobe Bryant put up some of the greatest scoring performances in NBA history during his legendary 20-year career with the LA Lakers.

Once he announced he would retire from the NBA at the end of the 2015-16 season, Bryant received many tributes from around the league on every court he and the LA Lakers visited.

Though the 18-time All-Star and five-time champion played only 66 games in his final campaign, he made sure his last game was exactly on the final night of the regular season.

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Before the LA Lakers played against the Utah Jazz on April 13th, 2016, for Bryant's final game, the two-time Finals MVP had scored over 30 points just five times during the year.

However, Bryant put up a performance for the ages, scoring 60 points and giving the struggling Lakers a five-point win over Utah in his final appearance for the franchise.

Bryant took 50 shots that night and converted 22 for 44% from the field. He also made six three-pointers and scored 10 of his 12 free throws. He was taken out of the game with four seconds left and received one of the biggest standing ovations ever seen on a basketball court.


Also read: Five NBA players who won the MVP award quickest in their career

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