Top 10 Most Unbreakable Sports Records
Some records in sports are so extraordinary that they seem almost untouchable, standing as benchmarks of human achievement and athleticism. These feats were set by individuals and teams who pushed the limits of what was thought possible, often in moments of greatness that have been immortalized in the history of their respective sports. But what makes a record feel unbreakable? Is it the sheer dominance of the athlete or team, the evolution of the game that makes replicating the feat unlikely, or just the perfect combination of skill, timing, and circumstance?As you explore this list of incredible achievements, you'll notice that many of them represent an era or a unique confluence of factors that may never be seen again. Some records were set decades ago, in different contexts and under rules that have since changed, while others showcase the kind of dominance that left competitors in the dust. From jaw-dropping individual performances to historic team dynasties, these records remind us just how rare it is to see greatness of this magnitude.
To break this record, a pitcher would have to pitch 25 complete games every season for 30 years.
To put this into perspective, from 2011 to 2015, the number of league-leading complete games for a season averaged six. At that rate, all you'd have to do is pitch for 125 years! Also, Young's 511 victories will never be touched.
With today's game, this is probably the most unbreakable record in all of sports. Pitch counts, fewer starts, longevity, etc. The active leader is Adam Wainwright with 28 career complete games.
He would need almost 27 more careers to exceed Young. Easily the most untouchable record in all of sports.
The Celtics are the greatest basketball team of all time. I am not saying that because they are my state team. This record is just amazing.
Even two consecutive championships are a great accomplishment. But eight? These guys must have had God on their side!
Unbeatable. Keep in mind there were 8 or 9 teams in the league when the Celtics did this, and they had the majority of the talent in the league.
Two weeks ago, the 2023 Kentucky Derby concluded with a winning time of 2:01.57. Secretariat would have won it by about 11 lengths. Earlier today, the 2023 Preakness Stakes ended with a winning time of 1:55.12. Secretariat would have won that race by about 10.5 lengths.
Even though the 2023 Belmont Stakes will not be run for three weeks, you can bet your life savings that Secretariat will hold all three Triple Crown record times afterward - for 50 years and counting - because no horse is touching his Belmont record.
Secretariat still holds the record times for each of the Triple Crown races some 45 years - and counting - later:
Kentucky Derby 1:59-2/5
Preakness Stakes 1:53 flat
Belmont Stakes 2:24 flat
No other horse on any 1-1/2 mile dirt track in the world has come within shouting distance of Secretariat's near-supernatural time of 2:24.
No one else has ever averaged more than 40 points in a season. This one is untouchable.
Forget about it. The 100-point game might be achievable by LeBron, but a 50.4 point average? Forget about it.
When you think about it, Lemieux and Hull came pretty close to breaking this one. In fact, if Lemieux hadn't missed 4 games in '88-'89 or 24 in '92-'93, he just might have broken it.
Now think about this: his 163 assists in one season record. Apart from Lemieux, no one has ever had that many points in a season (Yzerman is next at 155).
An underappreciated record. As a matter of fact, Gretzky could have all 10 records as most of them are untouchable.
With the changes the game has seen since the '80s, this record is truly, and forever, untouchable.
After 80 years of holding this record, no one has even gotten anywhere near it. This is the highest individual batting average of all time over 52 games. Unbreakable!
The next best is only 68. It's like the second-best batting average in baseball behind Cobb being .260! That's how good this guy was.
The best record of all time. No other record even comes close!
This record will easily stand the test of time. Here are some reasons:
1. Most players don't get to play for that long. Many players nowadays have their careers shortened early due to injuries, inconsistent play, and early retirements.
2. No injuries. Most athletes, at some point in their careers, are going to get injured. It's just how life works. It's happened thousands of times, but somehow Ripken avoided it. We've all seen athletes take a bad bump, but not Ripken.
3. Inconsistent play. When athletes are farther into their careers, it's likely they'll get sent to the minors and sometimes to free agency. But Ripken always maintained consistent play.
Untouchable. Kobe had a spectacular game 10 years ago where he scored 81, which is still 19 points shy of Wilt. Forget about it.
This record is number one. It will never be broken. Pete Rose came close with 43.
The Newcomers
What makes this record all the more remarkable is that the Pistol achieved it in only three seasons, and before the three-point line and shot clock were instituted in college basketball.
Good luck breaking this one. Ryan pitched into his 40s as a power pitcher, which is unheard of. Nobody in the modern game will pitch enough innings to ever threaten this record.
I suppose there are less "unbreakable" records than this, but this record has zero chance of ever being touched.
This is one of the unbreakable records for me.
I don't know how this isn't the number 1! Everything else has a slim 1% chance of being broken. This record is impossible.
The game changed with five pitchers, and in today's game, we may never see another 300 career winner. It's untouchable!
Probably the second most unbreakable record (after his complete games record). The game would have to change completely for this to be in danger. However, the game is going in the other direction.
This is an impossible record to break.
Take away every goal Gretzky ever scored, and he still has more points than the number two on the points list, Jagr. That's more assists than the second most points. Absolutely unbreakable.
Still being the career points leader without ever having scored a goal is truly astounding. His goal record may be eclipsed someday, but his points total will never be challenged.
LeBron could do this if he was strictly focused on it.
This record is safer than the 100 points. No one these days gets more than 20. In Wilt's day, teams didn't play defense, and there were significantly more possessions, which meant more misses and, therefore, more rebounds.
Safer than 100 points. You can hog shots, but hogging rebounds is harder.
I can't imagine someone stealing home three times in their career, but 54?! That's nothing any player would be able to do even if they had 1,000 lifetimes to try and achieve it.
No pitcher will ever throw three straight.
I feel like all of these records could be broken except for this one. Sure, it may take a while to break the other ones, but nobody will EVER come anywhere close to this.
Nowadays, backup goalies usually get 15-20 starts a year. Many goalies are sent to the minors or free agency for inconsistent play. Hockey is a VERY tough sport, yet somehow Hall avoided injury.
Back then, there were only a few goalies known as the best. Now you've got Lundqvist, Price, Holtby, and many others. For a coach to let a goalie start and finish 502 games is amazing.
With so many early-ending careers due to injury and backup goalies getting more starts, this is a record that will probably never be broken.
Let's keep in mind that David Pearson, who is 2nd on the list, only has 105 wins.
Should be 1 or 2, along with Cy Young. The other commenter is right - the next closest has about half.