Skip to main content

Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in 1962 in what is still considered the greatest statistical achievement in NBA history. Over 50 years later, Tony Snell recorded the worst statistical achievement by playing 28 minutes in a game for the Milwaukee Bucks and failing to record a single stat. Zero points, zero rebounds, zero assists, zero blocks, and zero steals while playing most of the game. It sounds impossible, but Snell really did it.

Tony Snell isn’t an NBA scrub

Recording zero stats in a single game isn’t rare in the NBA for minor bench players, but it’s almost impossible for starters. Snell started all 80 games he played for the Bucks in 2016-17, and he averaged 29.2 minutes per game on the floor.

In fact, the 2016-17 season was Snell’s best of his career. He averaged a career-high 8.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He was more involved in the offense that season than any other year in his career. Snell attempted 6.8 shots per game, which is the most of any season he’s been in the league.

Going into a February 24 matchup with the Utah Jazz, Snell had scored double-digit points in three straight games. It was just the second time that season he did so three games in a row, but he wouldn’t be able to make it four.

Instead, he recorded a goose egg. A zero. A whole lotta nothing. Not just in the points category, though, but in every counting category kept as a statistic in the modern NBA. The league might not see anything like it ever again.

Snell records stat-less game in 28 minutes

What would your stat line be if you played 28 minutes in an NBA game? You would think at some point you could grab one rebound or record a single assist. After all, not everyone crashes the boards every play and assists are much easier today with all the three-pointers being thrown up.

But Tony Snell, a solid NBA player who has started 275 games in the league, actually played an entire game without recording a single stat. He had zero points. He didn’t notch a single assist, block, or steal. He couldn’t even grab one rebound in 28 minutes.

But how? How does an NBA player make such a negative difference on the floor that they fail to record a single stat? That’s a question not even Snell has the answer to today. He didn’t realize it at the time, but his effort against the Jazz that day will go down as the most hilarious stat line in NBA history.

Snell’s name did show up in the box score that day

Snell’s effort on Feb. 24, 2017 is forever etched in history as one of the worst stat lines ever recorded in the NBA. The only reason he showed up in the box score was because of his two missed shots and one personal foul.

So, after 28 minutes of play, Snell was only in the record books for a few bricks and a hack on defense. No points, rebounds, assists, blocks, or steals. Nothing else.

Snell finished the game with a plus/minus of minus nine. The Bucks went on the lose to the Jazz by 14 points. Normally, you can’t blame one player for a loss in a team sport such as basketball. However, this might be the only case where you can.

Best in NBA
Staff Writer

Jack Dougherty

Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies.

When Jack isn’t writing about sports, he’s watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He’s also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.