In basketball, there has never been a single game, whether on the hardwood or the blacktop, that has finished with every single shot falling.

No, in all of these contests, there are air balls, rim shots, lip outs and the like, with those standing under the hoop to win the ball off the glass as important as the sharpshooters on the other end.

But in the storied history of the NBA, which players have stood tall above the rest to reel in the most rebounds in a game?

Consult the record books, and the answers are emphatic.

From Philly to the Bay Area, onto La-la Land and Bean Town, here is every instance an NBA player has recorded more than 40 rebounds in a single game.

Player Team Opponent Date Rebounds
Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia Warriors Boston Celtics 24/11/1960 55
Bill Russell Boston Celtics Syracuse Nationals 5/2/1960 51
Bill Russell Boston Celtics Detroit Pistons 11/3/1965 49
Bill Russell Boston Celtics Philadelphia Warriors 16/11/1957 49
Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia Warriors Los Angeles Lakers 21/1/1961 45
Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia Warriors Syracuse Nationals 6/2/1960 45
Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia 76ers Boston Celtics 6/3/1965 43
Bill Russell Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers 20/1/1963 43
Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia Warriors Los Angeles Lakers 8/12/1961 43
Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia Warriors Boston Celtics 15/1/1960 43
Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia Warriors New York Knicks 10/11/1959 43
Wilt Chamberlain Los Angeles Lakers Boston Celtics 7/3/1969 42
Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia 76ers Boston Celtics 14/1/1966 42
Nate Thurmond San Francisco Warriors Detroit Pistons 9/11/1965 42
Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia Warriors Detroit Pistons 25/1/1960 42
Bill Russell Boston Celtics San Francisco Warriors 14/3/1963 41
Wilt Chamberlain San Francisco Warriors Detroit Pistons 26/10/1962 41
Bill Russell Boston Celtics Syracuse Nationals 12/2/1958 41