Wilt Chamberlain played for a team.
The center ( C ) , also known as the five or the big man , is one of the five positions in a regular basketball game . The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland , California . Wilton Norman Chamberlain ( August 21 , 1936 -- October 12 , 1999 ) was an American basketball player . He is the only player to score 100 points in a single NBA game or average more than 40 and 50 points in a season . Wilt Chamberlain set the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) by scoring 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a 169 -- 147 win over the New York Knicks on March 2 , 1962 , at Hershey Sports Arena in Hershey , Pennsylvania .