1960s Timeline

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Jan 17

Jerry West Scores 63 as Lakers Drop Knicks, 129,121

Jan. 17, 1962 - Jerry West (pictured) of Los Angeles scored 63 points tonight as the Lakers beat the New York Knickerbockers, 129-121, in an NBA game in Los Angeles. West set a Sports Arena scoring record. Wilt Chamberlain of Philadelphia held the former record, 60 points. West’s previous high in a pro game was 47 points. It was the 15th straight road defeat for the Knicks. West’s effort was a league high for a guard. It eclipsed the former mark, 57 points, set by Richie Guer

Jan 16

West Destroys East in NBA All-Star Game, 150-130

Jan. 16, 1962 - Western players in the NBA continued their domination over the Eastern members of the league in the 12th annual All-Star game tonight before a crowd of 15,112 at the St. Louis Arena. Despite the height and high scoring of Wilt Chamberlain of Philadelphia, the West made it seem fairly easy to gain a 150-130 decision to the delight of the largest crowd to witness a basketball game in this city. Bob Pettit, playing in his eighth NBA All-Star game, set a rebound r

Jan 15

Players on Active Military Duty Permitted to Play NBA Games

Jan. 15, 1962 - Executives of the National Basketball Association voted today to allow players on active duty with the armed forces to participate in league games. This meant that the Los Angeles Lakers’ ace, Elgin Baylor, and Len Wilkens (pictured #32), a backcourt artist for the St. Louis Hawks, would be able to see action during the current campaign. They are the league’s only players now in active service. The rule states that one serviceman from each club will be allowed

Jan 13

NBA: Chamberlain Scores a Record 73 Points as Warriors top Packers in Philadelphia

Jan. 13, 1962 - Wilt (the Stilt) Chamberlain (right) scored 73 points for an NBA record as he led the Philadelphia Warriors to a 135-117 victory over the Chicago Packers before 3,516 in Philadelphia tonight. Wilt’s total exceeded the regulation-game mark of 71 set by Elgin Baylor of Los Angeles on Nov. 15, 1960, at New York. However, it was 5 points below Chamberlain’s league mark of 78 set in a triple overtime game with the Lakers last Dec. 8. The 40 points posted by Wilt in

Jan 11

NBA: Royals Finally Top Warriors, 145-128

Jan. 11, 1962 - Oscar Robertson led the Cincinnati Royals to a long-awaited NBA victory over the Philadelphia Warriors today, 145-128, despite a 52-point performance by Wilt Chamberlain. Robertson scored 38 points and had 19 assists and a dozen rebounds in helping the Royals win their first game from the Warriors in 4 tries this season. Philadelphia cut the lead to 15 points twice in the fourth quarter, but was never close. With the help of Chamberlain’s 22 rebounds, the Warr

Dec 27, 2021

NBA: Chamberlain Keeps Scoring as Warriors Beat Knicks

Dec. 27, 1961 - Wilt Chamberlain continued his sensational scoring pace with a 53-point performance today as he led the Philadelphia Warriors to a 131-119 victory over the New York Knicks in a NBA. In compiling his 53 points, Chamberlain tied a league record with 26 points in the last quarter. Wilt tallied 50 or more points for the sixth straight game, the eleventh time in his last 12 games, and the 20th time this season. #NBA #nba2k18 #nbafinals #nbamemes #nbaplayoffs #NBA2K

Dec 25, 2021

NBA: Scoring Galore as Lakers Top Royals

Dec. 25, 1961 - Oscar Robertson and Elgin Baylor (pictured) scored 40 points each today as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Cincinnati Royals, 141-127. The teams scored 154 points in the second half to break a Cincinnati Gardens record. The Lakers set a scoring record for the half and the teams set a record for scoring in the third quarter. The victory was the Lakers’ first over the Royals in Cincinnati since 1959. #NBA #nba2k18 #nbafinals #nbamemes #nbaplayoffs #NBA2K #nbahai

Dec 22, 2021

NBA: Western Division All-Star Roster Set

Dec. 22, 1961 - Elgin Baylor of the Los Angeles Lakers, who has averaged nearly 38 points a game, today was a unanimous choice for the Western Division squad that will play the East in the NBA’s All-Star game at St. Louis on Jan. 16. The Western starting lineup will have Baylor and Bob Pettit of the St. Louis Hawks at forward; a rookie, Walt Bellamy of the Chicago Packers, at center; and Oscar Robertson of the Cincinnati Royals and Jerry West of the Lakers in the backcourt. F

Dec 21, 2021

NBA: Eastern Division All-Star Team Named

Dec. 21, 1961 - High-scoring Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors beat Boston’s Bill Russell for the center position on the Eastern Division team that will play the West in the annual NBA all-star game at St. Louis Jan. 16. Completing the Eastern team were Dolph Schayes of the Syracuse Nationals and Tom Heinsohn of the Boston Celtics at forwards and Bob Cousy of the Celtics and Richie Guerin of the New York Knickerbockers at guards. The Eastern team will be coached b

Dec 9, 2021

NBA: Warriors Top Packers as Chamberlain Scores 61

Dec. 9, 1961 - Wilt Chamberlain, who set an NBA scoring record of 78 points 14 hours earlier, came back with 61 points today to lead the Philadelphia Warriors to a 135-113 victory over Chicago in a nationally televised game at Philadelphia’s Convention Hall. Chamberlain poured in 28 field goals and added 5 free throws as Philadelphia coasted to victory. A Chicago rookie, Walt Bellamy, who found it impossible to guard the 7-foot 1-inch Chamberlain, had 39 points and led the Pa

Dec 5, 2021

NBA: Warriors Whip Knicks as Chamberlain Dominates

Dec. 5, 1961 - What does a team do to defend against Wilt Chamberlain in an NBA game? Whatever it is, the New York Knickerbockers failed to do it again today, so Chamberlain and the Philadelphia Warriors whipped the Knicks, 122-105, before 7,126 fans at Madison Square Garden. Chamberlain scored 39 points, but his greatest value was that he forced the Knicks to pay too much attention to him. With the score tied at halftime, 52-52, Philadelphia managed to break away early in th

Nov 25, 2021

NBA: Cousy Scores 15,000th Point as Celtics Top Knicks

Nov. 25, 1961 - Bob Cousy (pictured with Red Auerbach) reached the 15,000-point plateau in his 11-year NBA career today while steering the Boston Celtics to a 116-96 victory over the New York Knickerbockers. Only Dolph Schayes of Syracuse has scored more points than Cousy’s 15,020. Cousy, the second-high scorer for the Celtics with 22 points, sank a basket for his 14,999th and 15,000th points just 50 seconds after the game had started. He also contributed 5 assists and has a

Nov 10, 2021

NBA Star Elgin Baylor Ordered to Active Army Duty

Nov. 10, 1961 - Orders to report to active duty have been sent to Elgin Baylor of the Los Angeles Lakers, a Sixth Army spokesman said today. Baylor, 26 years old, is a 6-foot-5 230-pounder. He has teamed with Jerry West to give the Lakers a fast start in the NBA’s Western Division. The team has a 9-2 record. Baylor, who has been averaging more than 30 points a game, is in his fourth season with Los Angeles. #NBA #nba2k18 #nbafinals #nbamemes #nbaplayoffs #NBA2K #nbahaircuts #

Nov 3, 2021

Rookie Walt Bellamy leads Packers to Win over Knicks

Nov. 3, 1961 - Rookie Walt Bellamy (pictured #8) led a second-half surge that carried the Chicago Packers to a 129-118 victory over the New York Knickerbockers in an NBA game. A crowd of 3,200 at Chicago’s International Amphitheatre saw Bellamy score 25 points in the second half. Bellamy was named an All-American in both his junior and senior year at Indiana and was the first Hoosier taken No. 1 in the draft. #NBA #nba2k18 #nbafinals #nbamemes #nbaplayoffs #NBA2K #nbahaircuts

Oct 20, 2021

Wilt Chamberlain Scores 57 as Warriors Dominate Lakers in Philadelphia

Oct. 20, 1961 - Wilt Chamberlain shattered 2 court records with a 57-point outburst today to lead the Philadelphia Warriors to a 122-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Philadelphia’s Convention Hall. Chamberlain’s point total exceeded his Convention Hall record of 56, and his 23 points in the second period also topped his mark of 22. Wilt also contributed 32 rebounds. The Warriors were in command throughout the game, which drew 4,688 fans. #NBA #nba2k18 #nbafinals #nb

Oct 12, 2021

NBA Opener at Madison Square Garden

Oct. 12, 1961 - The New York Knickerbockers will make their season debut in Madison Square Garden tonight when they face the College All-Stars in the 10th annual Free Milk Fund for Babies game. In the opening contest of the doubleheader, the Philadelphia Warriors will face the world champion Boston Celtics in a game highlighting the scoring talents of Wilt Chamberlain (left) of the Warriors against the defensive tactics of Bill Russell (right). Eddie Donovan will be making hi