LeBron James becomes the all-time scoring leader in the 2022-23 season. He has had a long and consistent scoring career that has catapulted him to the top of this list. However, does that make him a better pure scorer than the likes of Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan? If they were both in their prime, which player would you trust most to win for your team? Is it Wilt’s inner dominance, LeBron’s sheer power, or Jordan’s shot creation? Let’s take a look at the 10 greatest scorers in NBA history.
The 10 greatest scorers in NBA history ranked
10. Stephen Curry
Curry may not average more than 25 points per game during his career and won’t be known for his three-point shooting, but he’s much more than that. His ability to run the ball is lethal as the respective defenders are forced to feed him passes from beyond the arc. He averaged no more than 25 points per game in any of his first six seasons, but has exploded in the years since. Curry has averaged more than 30 points per game in two seasons and has averaged more than four three-pointers per game in seven of the past eight seasons. Curry is a two-time scoring champion and already the NBA’s all-time leader in three-point field goals made. If he continues to hit 3-pointers at this rate for the rest of his career, this could be an unbreakable record.
9. Allen Iverson
Iverson is the only player among the top 50 all-time scorers who is shorter than 6 feet 0 inches. Iverson played 17 seasons in the NBA, but his nine seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers from 1998 to 2007 put him on this list. He averaged over 30 points per game in four seasons and had another 30-point season in 2007 before being traded to the Denver Nuggets. His highest scoring average was 33 points in the 2005-06 season, but he did not win the scoring title. He did earn that honor in four other seasons. There are 13 players who have averaged more than 25 points per game in their careers. Iverson and Jerry West are the only guys shorter than 6 feet 5 inches.
8. Jerry West
The logo isn’t just known for its silhouette while dribbling. In an era that focused on rim play, West was one of the first to prioritize the jump shot. His opponents were not ready to defend this new style, which was evident from the points he accumulated. He averaged 27 points per game during his 14-year career and averaged more than 30 points per game in four seasons. His scoring increased in the postseason, reaching 40.6 points in the 1965 playoffs. He averaged more than 30 points per game seven times in the playoffs and helped the Lakers reach the NBA Finals multiple times, but did not win his first championship ring until the 1971-72 season. Ironically, that season was when he had his lowest scoring average of the season. West currently ranks seventh in points per game, but trails only three active players.
7. James Harden
Whether you love Harden or hate him, Harden’s impact as a scorer from 2014 to 2020 is hard to ignore. In the years since, Harden’s career has been derailed. Over the past three seasons, he’s averaged less than 25 points per game, which has dropped him from the list of points-per-game leaders. If Harden integrates into the team and stays in good shape, he will enter the top ten, but he is currently ranked 17th. He also passed Reggie Miller and moved into third place on the three-point list. He will likely pass Ray Allen and take second place behind Stephen Curry. Harden is still a better scorer than Curry because of his ability to score from anywhere on the court. Furthermore, his three-year run from 2017 to 2020 was one of the best in the modern era. He averaged 30.4 points, 36.1 points and 34.3 points per game, winning three consecutive scoring titles.
Harden’s 36.1 points in 2018-19 ranks seventh all-time, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan’s five seasons together.
6. Kevin Durant
Since entering the league, Durant and LeBron have been the gold standard in scoring in the NBA. They are the only two players in the top 15 in total points. Of course, LeBron is No. 1, but Durant is currently ranked 15th. If Durant hadn’t missed part of the game due to injury, he would undoubtedly be ranked higher. Considering the injury issues, Durant’s career may be shortened a bit because of these issues. A healthy Durant career could allow him to challenge LeBron for the No. 1 spot on this list. He has averaged more than 25 points per game in all 17 seasons and would have had 18 consecutive seasons if he had not missed the 2019-20 season with an Achilles injury. His best season was 2013-14, when he averaged a career-high 32 points per game and won his only MVP. He is also a four-time scoring champion.
Beyond his and LeBron’s legacy in this era, only 14 players 6-foot-9 or taller have made at least 1,000 three-pointers. He and LeBron are the only ones to average at least 21.0 points per game in their careers.
5. Kobe Bryant
Kobe may not be as dominant as others on this list. He doesn’t dominate the paint like Kareem and Wilt, nor can he knock down 3-pointers like Stephen Curry (although he currently ranks in the top 25 all-time). Kobe was known as the ultimate shot creator. If he’s in one-on-one situations and even in doubles and triples, he can see the rim. He’ll fake a nice shot. For most players, these are bad shots, but Kobe made them all the time. He’s known to be a bit of a ball hog when he plays, but whoever can score has the ball.
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem was dominant early in his career with the Milwaukee Bucks. He averaged more than 30 points per game in four of his six seasons with the Bucks. After joining the Los Angeles Lakers, he never averaged 30 points per game again. That’s because he’s been surrounded by talented players for most of his Lakers career. Kareem had to start sharing the ball more with those teams, but he still averaged over 20 points per game through his first 17 seasons. He became the all-time scoring leader with 38,387 points, but has since been surpassed by LeBron James. The 7-foot-2 center uses the skyhook as his go-to move, mastering the technique and making it an unstoppable shot. Would Kareem’s NBA scoring record have been harder to reach if he hadn’t played on the Lakers’ superteam?
3. LeBron James
LeBron surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar last season to lead the all-time scoring list. He has now averaged over 25 points per game for 19 consecutive NBA seasons. No other player has achieved this feat for more than 11 consecutive seasons. (Michael Jordan did it for 13 consecutive seasons, but his mid-career hiatus broke the streak). LeBron is showing no signs of slowing down in his age-38 season, averaging 28.9 points per game. He has been teasing that he is considering retiring, but if he continues to produce like this, there will be no reason to do so.
He continued to show interest in playing ball until his son Bronny entered the league to play with him. At this point, the question must be asked if he can hold on long enough to play with his other son, Bryce. LeBron now has 38,652 points. If he continues at this pace, he will likely never break the points record.
2. Michael Jordan
For NBA fans who don’t understand historical data, they may think that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Wilt ranks first in points per game. Michael Jordan was the leader in this regard, averaging 30.12 points per game, beating Wilt by 0.05 points. Jordan’s jump shot was beautiful, but he could do so much more on the court. He attacks the rim with ease and makes mid-range shots automatically. When Jordan got into the post, his fadeaways and turnaround jumpers gave opposing fans nightmares. Jordan was such a great scorer that he left for a season and a half to play professional baseball and then came back without missing a beat. In his fifth game back, Jordan scored 55 points.
The pressure on defense in the playoffs makes it more difficult for stars to score. However, in 13 playoff trips, Jordan’s scoring average rose to 33.4 points per game. Jordan also won 10 scoring titles in his career.
1. Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt was known for filling up the stat sheet during his time in the NBA. When you look at his numbers, it’s puzzling that he hasn’t surpassed the all-time scoring average lead. Michael Jordan scored 40 or more points 31 times, while Wilt had 118. Of course, people say he’s a statistician and only cares about his numbers. I’m sure there are a lot of players around the league who would like to score like Wilt but don’t have the ability to come anywhere close. He is also the only NBA player to score more than 100 points in a single game. In the words of one basketball historian discussing Wilt Chamberlain in The New York Times, Wilt was “clearly the most dominant player in the history of basketball, maybe not the best, but the most dominant of”.