5 Oldest NBA players to score 60 points in a game

The 2020-21 NBA season has seen LeBron James continue his battle against Father Time. 'The King' is in his 18th NBA season and, at 36-year-old, continues to play at an MVP level. Meanwhile, 32-year-old Stephen Curry has ripped through opposition defenses and is playing himself into the MVP conversation as well, despite the Golden State Warriors' uninspiring record.

Earlier this year, Curry became one of the oldest players in NBA history to score at least 60 points in a game. We saw him put up 57 in a loss against the Dallas Mavericks last week, and we may see him reach 60 again at some point this season.

For LeBron James, his season-high was 46 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 25th, but he is still more than capable of having the second 60-point game of his career.

5 Oldest NBA players to reach the 60-point mark

In NBA history, it is a rare occurrence to see players older than 30 years of age put up 60-point nights. In fact, it has only happened nine times since the inception of the league.

In this piece, we will give you the five oldest NBA players to reach the 60-point mark in a regular-season game.

#5 Wilt Chamberlain: 68 points at 31 years and 117 days

Chamberlain is the NBA's all-time leader in rebounds.

Scoring records in the NBA are synonymous with Wilt Chamberlain, who is arguably the most dominant force seen in NBA history. The Philadelphia 76ers and LA Lakers legend's scoring was simply incredible, as was his rebounding and defense.

He owns most of the NBA statistical records and some of his marks seem impossible to break (100 points in a game, for example).

On December 16th, 1967, while playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, Chamberlain put up 68 points against the Chicago Bulls on the road. He made 30 of his 40 attempts from the field.

#4 Wilt Chamberlain: 60 points at 32 years and 158 days

Wilt Chamberlain during his LA Lakers tenure

After writing himself into the Philadephia 76ers record books, Wilt Chamberlain joined another storied NBA franchise - the LA Lakers.

During his first year in Los Angeles, back in the 1968-69 season, Chamberlain put up one of his best scoring clinics against the Cincinnati Royals.

Before the LA Lakers played against the Royals on January 26th, 1969, Chamberlain was averaging just 14 points in his previous 10 games.

He was coming off an 11-point outing in a loss against the Atlanta Hawks two days before playing the Royals, but exploded against Cincinnati, scoring 60 points and giving L.A. a 13-point win.

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

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 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.

#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

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.

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.