Some people were skeptical that Walker Kessler would make a sizable impact on the Los Angeles Lakers this season. Some even felt the Lakers gave up too much for him when they surrendered two first-round draft picks and two pick swaps to the Utah Jazz in the sign-and-trade that brought him to town in July.
But on Wednesday, Kessler made a remarkable debut in the team's regular-season opener versus the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. He scored 26 points and made all 12 of his shot attempts while grabbing nine rebounds and blocking two shots. He was a major factor in L.A.'s 127-105 victory.
In doing so, Kessler made Lakers history. He became only the second player in the franchise's illustrious history to make at least 12 shots without missing a single one in a game since the legendary Wilt Chamberlain did so during the 1968-69 season.
Walker Kessler went 12-12 in his Lakers debut 🔥
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) October 22, 2026
The only other Laker to finish 12-12 or better from the field is Wilt Chamberlain, who went 14-14 on March 11, 1969 vs. the Pistons 👀 pic.twitter.com/UoqN9tQBSx
Chamberlain, of course, spent his last five seasons with the Lakers. By then, he wasn't a volume scorer anymore, but he did average 17.7 points on 60.5% field-goal shooting and 19.2 rebounds a game during his time with the team, and in 1972, he helped lead it to its first NBA championship since moving to Los Angeles.
Kessler also had 10 dunks, partly thanks to his willingness to run the floor hard in transition. That was the most dunks any Lakers player has had in a game since Shaquille O'Neal in 2003.
WALKER KESSLER WENT 12-12 IN HIS LAKERS DEBUT 🤯
— NBA (@NBA) October 22, 2026
He had 10 DUNKS... the most by a Laker since Shaq in 2003! pic.twitter.com/i7KWBrC9f6
It's fair to say that Kessler won't reach the stratospheric heights that Chamberlain or O'Neal achieved during their legendary careers. But it does appear that he will be every bit as good and effective as advertised.
This article originally appeared on Lakers Wire: Walker Kessler joins Wilt Chamberlain in Lakers record book