Where Willie Burton was concerned, nothing would ever compare to this. Really, what could? Just over 30 years ago, on Dec. 13, 1994, he scored 53 points in an NBA game.
Amid his lone season with the Sixers and a troubled time in his life, he stood with franchise royalty for that single night. Never again, though. He was the ultimate one-hit wonder, a fitting embodiment of a team that too often in its history has had only a nodding acquaintance with sustained success.
What you should know is that Willie Burton’s tale doesn’t begin and end there, even if our awareness of him does.