NBA Records That Will Never be Broken

There's a common saying that records are made to be broken, and it's easy to see why. Over time, players get stronger, faster and better, and what seems to be out of reach becomes truly possible.

But there are some records that probably won't ever fall because of changes in the game and playing styles. These five NBA records have stood for multiple decades, and it's likely they'll stand for a lot longer.

The Lakers' 33-Game Winning Streak

With the NBA's changes since 1972, it's hard to threaten this mark. First, there's a salary cap, so you aren't likely to see a team as stacked as the Lakers were with Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West. Second, there's far more travel now. Back then, only three teams existed between Ohio and Arizona, so schedule losses were rare.

Finally, you have to be lucky. The Lakers nearly saw their streak end at 20 against the Suns but escaped in overtime. With no margin for error, this one would take a truly special team to beat.

Wilt Chamberlain: 1,045 Games Without Fouling Out

This requires career longevity as well as discipline, making it almost impossible to touch. Just to have a chance, a player must play at least 12 NBA seasons. But not only does he have to stay healthy and productive, but he also must avoid silly fouls from Day 1 of his career.

How hard is this one to break? Jamal Crawford made it 680 games before fouling out of a playoff game on April 26, 2010. That was the only time in 19 full seasons that Crawford fouled out.

A.C. Green's 1,192 Consecutive Games Played

Players don't even think about breaking this one these days. Most coaches don't send players out for every game with the schedule demands of the modern NBA. Only 11 players played all 82 games in 2020-21, and even in a normal year, only about 30 players make it through the entire slate.

There's also the longevity aspect again: this equates to 14.5 full seasons of basketball without missing even one game. It simply isn't going to occur.

Scott Skiles' 30 Assists In One Game

Considering only six active NBA players have ever even hit 20 assists in a game, this seems pretty secure. To pull this off, you need hot shooting from your teammates and a lot of possessions. You also need to be the one running the offense for almost the entire game, hard enough to manage on its own. This could be beaten but probably only with an overtime or two.

Jose Calderon's 98.1 Free Throw Percentage

In 2008, Calderon missed only three foul shots all year. Some players miss three foul shots in a quarter, yet Calderon stayed focused all year long to eclipse Calvin Murphy's 95.8% in 1981. A player needs 125 made foul shots to qualify, so it's possible, but it will take a truly incredible season.