Jordan Reflects on the Modern NBA: ‘I Could Have Dropped 100 Points

Michael Jordan, renowned as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history with a career-high of 69 points, once expressed the belief that he could have achieved Wilt Chamberlain’s iconic 100-point game under the current NBA rules.

During a promotional event for the NBA 2K11 video game in 2010, Jordan highlighted the changes in the game since his playing days and asserted, “It’s less physical, and the rules have changed, obviously. Based on these rules, if I had to play with my style of play, I’m pretty sure I would have fouled out, or I would have been at the free-throw line pretty often, and I could have scored 100 points.”

Wilt Chamberlain’s historic feat of scoring 100 points in a single game during the 1961-62 season remains unparalleled in NBA history. While Chamberlain averaged an astounding 50.4 points per game that season, Jordan’s best scoring year was in 1987 when he averaged 37.1 points per game. Given the shift in the style of play and the elimination of hand-checking in today’s game, many argue that Jordan could have surpassed his previous scoring achievements.

Dennis Rodman, Jordan’s former teammate, even suggested that MJ would average 50 points per game if he played in today’s era, potentially rivaling Chamberlain’s best-scoring season. This speculation opens the door to the possibility of Jordan achieving the elusive 100-point milestone.

Jordan’s impressive career includes 173 games with 40 or more points, second only to Chamberlain’s 271. He also recorded 31 games with 50 or more points, the most in NBA history, except for Chamberlain. Despite his career-high of 69 points, Jordan never quite reached the historic 100-point mark.

While it’s plausible to argue that Jordan could have been an even more prolific scorer in today’s NBA, the prospect of him reaching the elusive 100-point mark remains a captivating and debated topic.