Box Score Stories · NBA history in numbers

Basketball history, told by the numbers

Records, eras and the stats behind them, explained simply. Every number comes with its source and the date we checked it. No betting tips, ever.

See the records
Subscribe on YouTube

Illustration (AI)

Box Score StoriesRecord board
100Points in one gameWilt Chamberlain · 2 March 1962
43,440Career pointsLeBron James · through 2025–26
209Career triple-doublesRussell Westbrook

Sources and check dates on the records page

On the channel

Latest video

Coming soon

Our first video premieres soon

Subscribe on YouTube and you will see it first. The article with tables and sources goes live here on the same day.

Subscribe on YouTube

On this site

The article to the video

Every video gets an article with what the video has no room for: the full table, a chart, the sources with the date we checked them, and an FAQ.

All articles →

Record board

Who holds the record?

The questions people ask most: one game, one season, one career. Each record has its source and check date on the records page.

Game record100points in one gameWilt Chamberlain, Warriors against the Knicks, 2 March 1962All game records →Season record402threes in one seasonStephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, 2015–16All season records →Career record43,440career pointsLeBron James, through the 2025–26 season, and still playingAll career records →

Open the record board

Eras

How the game changed the numbers

A rule change can move a whole league's numbers. Three turning points, each with its source.

1954–55The shot clock24 seconds to shoot, to end the stalling: in 1950 one game had finished 19–18.Read the era →1979–80 → 2024–25The threeFrom 2.8 to 37.6 three-point attempts per team per game.Read the era →1961–62The scoring peakWilt Chamberlain's 50.4 points a game, still the record for a season.Read the era →

Stats explained

What does TS% mean?

Advanced stats in plain words: the formula, a worked example with real numbers, and what the number cannot tell you.

All stats explained →

Start here

How to read a box score

Twenty columns, from MIN to +/-. Tap any column of our practice box score and see what it means and how it is calculated.

Read a box score

#1 Guard · practice line, made-up numbersMINFG3PFTREBASTPTS+/-369-194-96-74828+10

With the newsletter

The box score cheat sheet

Every column of a box score on one printable page, the shooting formulas with a worked example, and the stats the old box scores never counted.

  • All abbreviations, from MIN to +/-
  • FG%, 3P%, FT%, eFG% and TS% with examples
  • One email a week with the new video and its article

Get the cheat sheet (PDF)

Enter your email and we will send the cheat sheet as a PDF.

Sign-up opens in a few days. Until then, subscribe on YouTube and you will hear about the cheat sheet first.

Subscribe on YouTube

By signing up you confirm that you are at least 16. You will get an email to confirm your address (double opt-in) and can unsubscribe at any time. Details in our privacy policy.

Read

Latest articles

Our first article goes live with our first video.

Independent channel · not affiliated with the NBA or any team · no betting tips · YouTube @boxscorestories