During the Philadelphia 76ers’ Jan. 22 game against the San Antonio Spurs, Joel Embiid broke a 56-year-old record by finishing the game with 70 points, writes Ben Golliver for The Washington Post.

With his 70-point game, Embiid unseated the previous record of 68 points Wilt Chamberlain scored against the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 16, 1967.

“It feels good,” Embiid said about his performance. “I’ve got unselfish teammates, and they got me the ball. I was hot. They made sure they put me in the best position.”

In addition to shooting 24-41 from the field, 1-2 on three-pointers, and 21-23 from the free-throw line, Embiid also added 18 rebounds and five assists to his stat line. 

Embiid became the ninth player in NBA history to score at least 70 in a single game, and the fourth to do it in the last seven seasons.

While Embiid’s elite performance was cause for praise, the reigning league MVP remains focused on the NBA’s ultimate prize. 

“What [Chamberlain] was able to do was amazing,” Embiid said. “He’s got all the records. Any time someone beats his record, you must be doing something good. … To be in that class is great. It doesn’t really mean anything until you win the whole thing.”

Read more about Joel Embiid’s franchise-record 70-point performance at The Washington Post.

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