What Are The Most Impressive Athletic Feats?
Every sport has its records. Some records are broken relatively frequently, while others have stood the test of time. Read below to learn about some of the greatest achievements in all of sports.
Wilt Chamberlain’s 1961-62 Season
Arguably the most dominant individual player in the history of professional basketball is Wilt Chamberlain. His 1961-62 season was undoubtedly his apex. That year, Chamberlain averaged an NBA record of 50.4 points per game. No player, aside from Wilt’s other seasons, comes within 11 points of that mark. His total points for that season was 4,029. Aside from Wilt, Michael Jordan’s 3,041 points in 1986-87 is next on the record books.
However, Wilt is best known for scoring a record 100 points in a single game, which hasn’t been done since. Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game in 2006 is next on the single-game points list. Chamberlain also averaged over 25 rebounds per game and played over 48 minutes per night. While the big man didn’t win the championship that season, his 1961-62 campaign is still acknowledged as one of the most untouchable records in basketball history.
“Tiger Slam”
Winning on the PGA Tour is incredibly difficult; only two players in the history of golf have won at least 20% of the time when making at least 200 starts in a career. One of those golfers is Tiger Woods, and he’s pulled off some incredibly impressive feats. Tiger’s greatest achievement is doing something nobody has ever done before: hold all four major championships at the same time.
It started at Pebble Beach for the 2000 U.S. Open. Woods dominated the competition, winning by 15 strokes. At the 2000 Open Championship, Tiger won by eight strokes, and then he pulled off a thrilling victory at the PGA Championship to close the 2000 season.
The next major was the 2001 Masters. Tiger outdueled some of the top players in the world, including David Duval and Phil Mickelson, to capture his fourth consecutive major championship. Since Tiger held all four titles at the same time, but it wasn’t done in the same year, it was nicknamed the “Tiger Slam.”
Wayne Gretzky’s 2,857 Career Points
In 20 seasons, Wayne Gretzky dominated the NHL like nobody else before or since him. Gretzky compiled a staggering 2,857 points in his career, while nobody else has even reached 2,000 points. Perhaps what’s even more impressive is if the Great One never scored a goal in his career, his 1,963 assists alone would rank number on the all-time points list.
In addition, Gretzky compiled four 200-point seasons, which haven’t been replicated by any player since. He also led the league in scoring a remarkable 11 times and has a record 15 100-point seasons. Mario Lemieux is next on the list with ten. The center holds the record for most goals in a season, with 92 in 1981-82. That year, he became the fastest player ever to reach 50 goals in a season as he did it in just 39 games, a record that also still stands today. Gretzky holds a number of NHL records that are so impressive they may never be broken.