There is simply no denying it, basketball is one of the most entertaining games in the world to watch with its end to end nature combined with a bit of showboaty dunking thrown in for good measure. Here though we’re focusing purely on the men who sink shots like they’re on stag do at Hooters with a look at the highest points scorers in NBA history.
Number 5. Michael Jordan
He might be the Greatest of All Time but when it comes to points scored, he only sits fifth with a total of 32,292. Considering the Chicago Bulls legend twice retired before making comebacks it’s fair to say he might have ranked higher up this list had he not missed out on four years’ worth of action.
Based on a regular season career average of 30.1 points per game he could have been looking at another 10,000 points. Still, after leading the scoring charts in 10 seasons, winning six Championships, and being named league MVP on five occasions we imagine he sleeps okay at night.
Number 4. Kobe Bryant
Bryant might have only led the league in points scored on two occasions – back to back in 2006 and 2007 – but he posted a higher career total than Jordan with 33,643 points. Of course, with Bryant being a one team man, all of them came with the Lakers. His peak season came in the 2006 campaign as he sank an impressive 2,832 points.
He was so much more than a scorer though and 18 All-Star appearances alongside five Championship triumphs and a 2008 MVP award is testament to that. Sadly, he was taken too soon and won’t be here for his Hall of Fame induction next year.
Number 3. LeBron James
James’ recent exploits that saw him named NBA finals MVP for a fourth time in his career means he’s the only person to achieve such a feat with three different franchises – Miami Heat, the Cavaliers and the Lakers.
That alone gives him legendary status, but his points haul is huge too with 34,241 to date. Given the 36-year-old has recently claimed he still has ‘a lot of years left’ and assuming his average haul of over 2,000 points a season doesn’t dip he could easily break the all-time record. It is within reach and the betting odds expect him to do it.
It’s no surprise that BetAmerica placed LeBron as first place in the best small forwards of all time. You can check the complete list here: https://extra.betamerica.com/nba/the-best-small-forwards-in-nba-history/
Number 2. Karl Malone
Malone’s points per game might not read quite as impressively compared to some on this list with his best season coming in 1989/90 as he hit 31.0 per game. What he did deliver over the years though was a remarkable consistency. He has more NBA starts to his name than any other player and 36,928 career points is the mark of a man who was regularly finding the basket. During his career the Jazz man racked up a total of 14 All-Star honours with 11 of them coming back to back during his days in Utah as did his duo of MVP awards.
Number 1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
We referred to MJ as the G.O.A.T earlier but the 1969 first overall pick, Abdul-Jabbar, runs him damn close. His career was split between the Bucks and the Lakers, but he shone with both as he won NBA Championships and MVP awards in each strip.
He won both those things six times, which is an incredible achievement. Two of those years – namely 1971 and 1972 – saw him lead the NBA in points scored.
His career average points per game is somewhat surprisingly the lowest of the five names listed at 24.6 but being elite is a hard thing to sustain. Abdul-Jabbar had longevity hence he tops this list with a whopping 38,387 regular season career points.
There you have it, the highest points scorers in the history of the NBA. Do you back James to catch Abdul-Jabbar? Let us know below.
