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Everyone says that records are made so they can be broken, but that isn’t the case for all of them. Sure, in today’s NBA, young and upcoming players break records regularly, whether that’s because the pace of the game has changed or because players nowadays have a higher fitness level. 

Nevertheless, more than a few records will stay unbroken for the foreseeable future. 

In this article, I’ll list the top 10 NBA records that will never be broken.

Without delay, I’ll begin!

#10 – Most Points in a Game: 100

One of the most legendary players in the history of basketball who holds the record for most points scored in one NBA game is e Philadelphia Warriors played against the New York Knicks, and Philly’s center, Chamberlain, scored 100 points in that game. This record was made to stand the test of time and will hardly be broken. 

#9 – Most Rebounds in a Game: 55

Another incredible record goes to the basketball giant Wilt Chamberlain. In the 60s, Wilt’s arch nemesis was one of the best centers to play the game of basketball— Celtic’s Bill Russell. In 1960, they played against each other, and Wilt managed to grab 55 rebounds against Russell. Making so many rebounds against one of the greatest players ever was an astonishing feat by Chamberlain. 

#8 – Most Wins in One NBA Season: 73

The Curry-led Golden State Warriors have set one of the most unbelievable NBA records ever when they won 73 games out of 82 in the 2015/16 season. They broke the record the Chicago Bulls set in the 1995/96 season when they had a 72-10 record in the regular season. 

#7 – Free Throw Percentage In A Regular NBA Season: 98.1%

It may not be the most jaw-dropping NBA record ever, but it will remain unbroken for a long time. That record was set by Jose Calderon in the 2008/09 NBA season when he played for the Raptors when he recorded a 98.1 % free throw percentage. Calderon broke the record made by Calvin Murphy, who had a 95.8% free throw percentage in the 1980/1981 season. 

#6 – Most Assists in a Game: 30

Scott Skiles was the point guard who set the record for most assists in one game. In 1990, this Orlando Magic playmaker succeeded in dishing 30 assists to his teammates against the Denver Nuggets. He also had a great shooting night, scoring 22 points. Scott maybe wasn’t the best point guard in the NBA, but he did what many point guards couldn’t even dream of. 

#5 – Player with the Most NBA Titles: Bill Russell

The legendary center of the Boston Celtics holds the record for the most titles among all NBA players ever with 11 NBA Championship rings. Different playoff formats and many players changing teams in their careers contributed to this incredible achievement. What’s even more impressive is that Russell won 11 NBA titles in only 13 NBA seasons. Besides this record that almost certainly will never be broken, Bill Russell left a legacy as one of the best defenders in NBA history.

#4 – Points Made In One Half: 107

In the 1990/1991 season, the Phoenix Suns have set a record that will surely stand the test of time. While playing against the Denver Nuggets, the Suns scored 107 points in the first half, setting one of the most unbelievable records in the NBA. Although they only scored 66 points in the second half, finishing the game 173-143, those 107 points in one half will hardly be surpassed by any team in the NBA. 

#3 – Longest Win Streak In an NBA Season: 33

In the 1971/1972 season, Los Angeles set a more than fascinating record. The Lakers won 33 consecutive games and was undefeated for 65 days. This is also one of the oldest NBA records since no one has accomplished that feat so far. The players who mainly contributed to this achievement were NBA legends Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West. 

#2 – Most Career Blocks: 3,830

This is one of those records that will stay unbroken for a very long time, and that would be the most shot-blocks in a player’s career. The one who set the record was Hakeem Olajuwon, one of the most remarkable centers in the NBA. “The Dream” made 3,830 blocks in his illustrious career, and the second player with the most blocks is Dikemebe Mutombo, who retired long ago and has 500 blocks less than Olajuwon. 

#1 – Most Career Assists: 15,806

One of the best point guards to step on NBA hardwood, John Stockton, holds the record for most assists of all time. As one of the best passers in NBA history, he former Utah Jazz playmaker was dishing assists right and left throughout his career and made 15,806 career assists. This is one of those NBA records that will never be broken because the 2nd player on the assists leaderboard is Jason Kidd, who retired and has 12,091 assists, compared to Stockton, who has 15,806. 

Featured image taken from YouTube.

MMA itself is one of the most entertaining sports across the globe, but the most exhilarating part about this brutal game is the knockout finishes. Fighters can knock out their opponents using hands, elbows, or knees, and sometimes they’ll even slam them on their heads. 

In the following segment, I’ll provide a detailed review of the top 5 knockout artists in the history of mixed martial artists. 

Keep reading, and find out who the most vicious knockout finishers are in MMA!

#5 – Mirko “Cro Cop” (38W – 11L)

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic was one of the most brutal knockout artists in MMA history. He was a successful kickboxer who decided to go into mixed martial arts and became a fighting legend. The famous phrase for which Mirko was known was “right leg hospital, left leg cemetery” because of his hard leg kicks. He fought for famous organizations like UFC, Dream, and Rizin, but he was at the peak of his abilities while fighting in Pride and became the champ in that promotion.  

This Croatian heavyweight beat many successful MMA fighters like Josh Barnett, Wanderlei Silva, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Igor Vovchanchyn, and others. Throughout his illustrious career, he recorded 30 KO wins. 

After fighting for two decades, Cro Cop decided to retire in 2019. 

#4 – Melvin Manhoef (32W – 17L)

Coming from the Netherlands, Melvin Manhoef was one of the most vicious strikers who fought in mixed martial arts. Even though he may not be the most popular, he is still statistically one of the best in the business.  Nicknamed “No Mercy,” Manhoef was truly merciless towards his opponents, given that from 32 wins in total, 29 of them came via knockout. 

This Dutch light heavyweight has fought in numerous major like DREAM, One, Bellator, Strikeforce, and KSW. Even though he didn’t win a title in those big fighting organizations, he did in some less popular ones. He won the light heavyweight championship title in the British Promotion Cage Rage. 

In his prime, Melvin Manhoef was virtually unstoppable, beating the likes of Mark Hunt, Crosley Gracie, Kazushi Sakuraba, Denis Kang, and many others. 

In 2022, at the age of 46, Manhoef retired as a Bellator fighter. 

#3 – Wanderlei Silva (35W – 14L)

Known as the “Axe Murderer,” Wanderlei Silva is probably one of the most ruthless finishers ever in MMA. Before transitioning into MMA, Wanderlei was also an elite kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter.  This Brazilian middleweight fought in famous fighting promotions like UFC and Pride, but his best fighting days were when he fought at Pride, where he won two Middleweight championship titles. 

Wanderlei’s resume is more than impressive since he beat some big names in the MMA world, like Dan Henderson, Kazushi Sakuraba, Quinton Jackson, and Michael Bisping. His opponents often didn’t last for more than one round since his finishing skills were otherworldly. He recorded 35 wins while fighting in MMA, and 27 of those wins were via a knockout or a TKO.

Wanderlei decided to end his MMA career back in 2018 while fighting for Bellator promotion.  

#2 – Chuck Liddell  (21W – 9L) 

Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell was one of the last old-school fighters in the MMA world. Back when MMA was a new sport, in the 90s and 2000s, fighters relied on grappling and jiujitsu, and Liddell was one of the first fighters who used kickboxing as his main weapon. Liddell fought in the light heavyweight division and was one of the most dangerous knockout artists at his peak. He fought at Pride and in the UFC, where he won the light heavyweight championship. 

Even though Liddell finished his career with a 21-9 record, he was at his prime, when his record was 20-3. 13 of those 20 wins came from either TKO or KO. In his career, he fought and beat the likes of MMA legends like Tito Ortiz, Wanderlei Silva, Randy Couture, Alistair Overeem, Vitor Belfort, and Kevin Randleman. 

He retired at the age of 49, fighting for Golden Boy MMA promotion. 

#1 – Anderson Silva (34W – 11L)

Undeniably, the greatest MMA striker the world has ever seen is Anderson “The Spider” Silva. His one-of-a-kind striking style was the reason why he was able to pull off some of the most impressive KO wins ever. 

Silva was a sharp striker who could KO his opponent in the blink of an eye. Silva fought at middleweight as well as the light heavyweight division, and he was UFC’s middleweight reigning champion for 2,457 days, which is the longest reign ever in UFC’s history. 

In his MMA career, Anderson has beaten numerous well-known MMA fighters like Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, Forrest Griffin, Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin, and many others. In 34 career wins, he managed to finish 23 fights via KO or TKO, which is more than impressive. 

One of the greatest fighters of all time, Anderson Silva, retired in 2020 as a UFC fighter. 

*featured image taken from YouTube.

NBA players from the USA have always dominated the league, but in the last decade, European NBA players have started making big names for themselves. European superstars like Jokic, Doncic, and Antetokounmpo became the center of attention with their superb skill sets and also managed to change the narrative of NBA basketball. 

In this article, I’ll reveal to you why European NBA players are starting to get more recognition from the fans. Also, you’ll get a closer look into the previously mentioned superstars alongside a couple of other notable players who are the reason why European basketball is reshaping the NBA. 

Read ahead, with more interesting facts to follow!

Related: NBA vs. EuroLeague – How Do The Two Leagues Compare?

Why Are European Basketball Players On The Rise?

Below, I’ll delve deeper into why European basketball players are making such a great impact on the NBA.

Talent and Work Ethic

NBA players from Europe are often praised due to their exceptionally high basketball IQ and versatility. They have an impressive all-around skill set, including good off-ball movement, great passing, strong defense, and unique scoring techniques. 

All those skills help them to be successful in multiple positions on the court, which translates into the teams’ success. European players often get positive recognition because of their hard work ethic, discipline, and nurturing of teamwork. They also adapt quickly to the NBA, given the fact that they are well-prepared, tactically as well as technically. 

Scouting

A few decades ago, NBA teams didn’t invest much energy and time into bringing in European players. Mainly because there have been a couple of first-round pick busts, such as Jan Vesely or Darko Milicic, that have not proven to be a great choice overall. 

However, today, that indeed isn’t the case. Highly talented players from this continent are often chosen at the NBA draft among the first picks. For instance, a future superstar from France, Victor Wenbanyama, was the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. 

Another reason that NBA teams choose European players at the NBA Draft is that they almost always have experience playing high-level basketball in competitive European leagues. A great example is the 3rd pick in 2018, the Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic, who played for Real Madrid from age 16.

Improved Globalization and Reach

With players from Europe who’ve taken the NBA by storm, basketball fans take extra interest in watching them play. Without a doubt, today’s NBA basketball is a more global phenomenon with an ever-growing fan base compared to a couple of decades ago when it was primarily popular in Northern America. 

The NBA’s global exposure, advanced technology, and social media make it much easier for top European players to show their talent. Fans worldwide can watch NBA games,  and scouting networks are a lot bigger, giving NBA teams more means to search for the best players that Europe offers. 

Best European Players That Are Shaping the NBA’s Future

Here’s a top-five list of the best basketball players from Europe who are the most deserving for the rise of players from that continent.

#5 – Domantas Sabonis

Lithuanian player, Domantas Sabonis covers the positions of a power forward and center. He’s widely regarded as one of the NBA players from Lithuania besides Jonas Valanciunas. 

Domantas is a true leader of the Sacramento Kings and a double-double machine. He also played for the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. He’s the son of the legendary NBA player Arvydas Sabonis, who played in the 90s and early 2000s. 

#4 – Lauri Markannen

One of the best natural scorers in the NBA is the Finnish small forward Lauri Markannen. Besides being a great scorer, he’s also solid in the rebounds department and a power dunker. 

He was the 7th pick in the 2017 NBA draft, initially chosen by the Timberwolves but later traded to Chicago, where he played until the end of the 2020-21 season. Markannen’s amazing 2022-23 season, where he averaged 25.6 points and 8.6 points, earned him the title of the Most Improved Player at the end of the season. 

#3 – Luka Doncic

Luka is one of the biggest talents to come from overseas to the NBA. His previous professional experience as a Real Madrid player, alongside a superb basketball skill set, was the main reason the Dallas Mavericks chose him as the 3rd pick in the 2018 NBA draft. 

This Slovenian player can easily score 30 points in one game and makes shots from all positions. Luka’s always in contention for the MVP title, and one day he may get it.

#2 – Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis “The Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo is one of the most dominant players in the modern-day NBA. His unreal athleticism combined with insane reach helped him to make rebounds, steal the ball, and create some jaw-dropping dunks. 

While playing for the Bucks, Giannis won back-to-back MVP titles and even carried this team to an NBA championship title in 2021. This Greek power forward had a monstrous 2022-23 season, averaging 31.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.

#1 – Nikola Jokic

Another Eastern European player besides Luka and the No. 1 spot on this list is the Serbian center, Nikola “The Joker” Jokic. He’s the Denver Nuggets superstar who can easily produce triple-doubles. Nikola is a versatile player who is exceptionally talented and has some of the best passing as well as playmaking skills in the entire NBA. 

He was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2014 as one of the best young European players, and since then, he’s been a force to be reckoned with. Nikola’s accolades speak for himself, which are back-to-back MVP titles alongside winning the NBA title in the 2022-23 season.