| 1961–62 NBA season | |
| League: | National Basketball Association |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| Duration: | October 19, 1961 – March 14, 1962 March 16 – April 5, 1962 (Playoffs) April 7–18, 1962 (Finals) |
| No Of Games: | 80 |
| No Of Teams: | 9 |
| Tv: | NBC |
| Draft: | Draft |
| Draft Link: | 1961 NBA draft |
| Top Pick Link: | List of first overall NBA draft picks |
| Top Pick: | Walt Bellamy |
| Picked By: | Chicago Packers |
| Season: | Regular season |
| Top Seed: | Boston Celtics |
| Mvp: | Bill Russell (Boston) |
| Mvp Link: | NBA MVP |
| Top Scorer: | Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia) |
| Playoffs: | Playoffs |
| Playoffs Link: | 1962 NBA playoffs |
| Conf1: | Eastern |
| Conf1 Link: | Eastern Division (NBA) |
| Conf1 Champ: | Boston Celtics |
| Conf1 Runner-Up: | Philadelphia Warriors |
| Conf2: | Western |
| Conf2 Link: | Western Division (NBA) |
| Conf2 Champ: | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Conf2 Runner-Up: | Detroit Pistons |
| Finals: | Finals |
| Finals Link: | 1962 NBA Finals |
| Finals Champ: | Boston Celtics |
| Finals Runner-Up: | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Seasonslist: | List of NBA seasons |
| Seasonslistnames: | NBA |
| Prevseason Link: | 1960–61 NBA season |
| Prevseason Year: | 1960–61 |
| Nextseason Link: | 1962–63 NBA season |
| Nextseason Year: | 1962–63 |
The 1961–62 NBA season was the 16th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning their 4th straight NBA title, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.
| Team | 1960–61 coach | 1961–62 coach | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Packers | Expansion | Jim Pollard | |
| New York Knicks | Carl Braun | Eddie Donovan | |
| Philadelphia Warriors | Neil Johnston | Frank McGuire | |
| In-season | |||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach | |
| St. Louis Hawks | Paul Seymour | Andrew Levane Bob Pettit | |
| 1961-62 National Basketball Association | ||||
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | Boston Celtics | Boston, Massachusetts | Boston Garden | 13,909 |
| New York Knicks | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | 18,496 | |
| Philadelphia Warriors | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Municipal Auditorium | 12,000 | |
| Syracuse Nationals | Syracuse, New York | Onondaga War Memorial | 6,230 | |
| Western | Chicago Packers * | Chicago, Illinois | International Amphitheatre | 9,000 |
| Cincinnati Royals | Cincinnati, Ohio | Cincinnati Gardens | 11,000 | |
| Detroit Pistons | Detroit, Michigan | Cobo Arena | 12,191 | |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Los Angeles, California | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | 16,161 | |
| St. Louis Hawks | St. Louis, Missouri | Kiel Auditorium | 9,300 | |
| Expansion team * |
x – clinched playoff spot
See main article: 1962 NBA playoffs.
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 4,029 | ||
| Rebounds | 2,052 | ||
| Assists | 899 | ||
| FG% | .519 | ||
| FT% | .899 | ||
Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.
The 1961–62 season is notable for having some of the most impressive individual season statistics ever. A number of records were set this season, some of which still stand to this day. Below is a table showcasing some of the most significant individual per game statistics of the season.
| Player | Team | GP | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilt Chamberlain | Philadelphia | 80 | 48.5 | 50.4 | 25.7 | 2.4 | |
| Bill Russell | Boston | 76 | 45.2 | 18.9 | 23.6 | 4.5 | |
| Oscar Robertson | Cincinnati | 79 | 44.3 | 30.8 | 12.5 | 11.4 | |
| Elgin Baylor | Los Angeles | 44 | 44.4 | 38.3 | 18.6 | 4.6 | |
| Bob Pettit | St Louis | 78 | 42.1 | 31.1 | 18.7 | 3.7 | |
| Jerry West | Los Angeles | 75 | 41.2 | 30.8 | 7.9 | 5.4 | |
| Richie Guerin | New York | 78 | 42.9 | 29.5 | 6.4 | 6.9 | |
| Walt Bellamy | Chicago | 79 | 42.3 | 31.6 | 19.0 | 2.7 | |
| Cliff Hagan | St Louis | 77 | 36.2 | 22.9 | 8.2 | 4.8 | |
| Willie Naulls | New York | 75 | 39.7 | 25.0 | 11.6 | 2.6 | |
| Red Kerr | Syracuse | 80 | 34.6 | 16.3 | 14.7 | 3.0 |