Perth Wildcat Bryce Cotton has set a new NBL record for most points ...

Perth Wildcats superstar Bryce Cotton isn’t just the showstopper, he’s the whole damn show.

Cotton has broken the NBL’s single-game scoring record against New Zealand in an extraordinary day at RAC Arena as the Wildcats won 123-112.

Cotton scored a remarkable 59 points to not only break the NBL 40-minute era record, but set a new all-time mark for a Wildcat in any length of game. That was previously owned by James Crawford with 57 points in 1987.

“It’s amazing. It was fun for me. It was one of those games where the ball just kept falling,” Cotton said post-match.

The four-time NBL MVP has watched twice this season as players produced massive individual scores against his team. Playing in front of 12, 505 people, Cotton ensured his name was not only spoken about in those conversations about the season but that he sat at the top of the tree.

Cotton had 20 points in the first quarter while shooting at 78 per cent from the field. That helped Perth to a massive 42 points in the opening period as they stormed to an 18-point lead.

By half-time, he’d raced away to 31 points. No other player from either team had more than 10 points at the main break.

Cotton was in such good form that he made a three-point shot while hopelessly off balance and in the midst of being fouled late in the first half.

Camera IconBryce Cotton created NBL history Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images

He hit 40 points with 5:09 remaining in the third quarter, then equalled his regular season record with a free throw from the same play.

Cotton ended up in the crowd when he hit 43 points and his three-pointer just moments later gave him a new personal best and there was still nearly three minutes left in the third quarter.

He went past the 46 points Chris Goulding scored against Perth before the end of the term. With 48 points on the board, he had a full quarter to catch James Batemon’s record of 51 points from just two weeks ago.

Cotton needed just 34 seconds to achieve that in the last quarter. Then he hit 53 points with a lay-up to claim the record as his own.

There was still one big record up for grabs though. Crawford scored 57 points in a 48-minute game in 1987 when the team piled on 153 points.

Cotton equalled that with two minutes left and then claimed it as his own with 21 seconds left.

He missed a shot to reach 60 points, but coach John Rillie recognised the occasion by calling a time-out with 1.4 seconds left after New Zealand scored so he could advance the ball and give him another crack at history. It wasn’t to be.

Camera IconBryce Cotton of the Wildcats brings the ball up the court. Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images

Ironically, Cotton spent just two-and-a-half minutes on court against New Zealand when they played in October after being taken to hospital with a serious rib injury.

Cotton famously scored 45 points in the 2017 grand final and that remained his highest tally.

He also scored 42 points during the 2020 finals, 41 points in December 2023 and 40 points in January of the same year.

The American had two previous 30-point games this season. He piled on 35 points against Cairns in the game before he was hurt against the Breakers, the followed up with 33 points against South East Melbourne Phoenix in his return match.