Dwight Howard broke Wilt Chamberlain’s single game record for the most foul shots taken. On January 13, 2012, Howard took 39 foul shots, eclipsing Chamberlains’s mark which had stood since February 22, 1962.
Both Chamberlain’s and Howard’s records reflected no so much their ability to get to the line, but rather their lack of ability to make foul shots. Then again, both the St. Louis Hawks in 1962 and the Golden State Warriors in 2012, had great respect for Chamberlain’s and Howard’s abilities to score when not on the foul line.
Neither the Hack-a-Wilt nor the Hack-a-Dwight strategies proved to be effective on these two record setting nights.
Chanberlain’s Philadelphia Warriors beat the Hawks, 139-121. Wilt made 19 of 34 foul shots. (55.9% vs. a career average of 51.1%). He was also 21-36 from the field that night, for a total of 61 points to go along with his 26 rebounds (an above average performance for the big guy, but other than the number of foul shots it wasn’t all that extraordinary).
The night Howard broke Chamberlain’s record he shot 21-39 from the foul line and went 12-21 from the field for a total of 45 points.Howard also pulled down 23 rebounds as his Orlando Magic topped the Golden State Warriors 117-109.
Howard tied his 39-shot record when he returned to Orlando for the first time in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform. This time he shot 25-39 from the foul line (64.1%) and went 7-13 from the field. The Lakers won the game 106-97.