Pedro Oliveira
Not everything in basketball is about scoring, but the art of being able to score points remains the most appreciated and rewarded talent among all the disciplines required to be a professional at the highest level of basketball. Those who can consistently put up 20 points a game will always have a place on an elite team.
Therefore, we bring you this list detailing the top 5 scorers in NBA history and recall their past glories, their style and their legacy.
5. Michael Jordan
To this day he is still considered the best player in the history of basketball and perhaps of the sport. The Chicago Bulls point guard might have been in first place in this ranking, if not for the breaks that occurred in his career.
With a lifetime average of 30.1 points per game, in 15 seasons Jordan accumulated a total of 32,292 points in 1072 games, placing him as the fifth-best scorer in NBA history. In addition, his 6 wins in 6 NBA Finals remains a mark that seems impossible to surpass. Let’s not even get started on his individual awards.
4.- Kobe Bryant
During his 20-year career, if there was one thing that was never missing from the Philadelphia shooting guard’s game, it was his scoring. At the time, Kobe was the most difficult player to defend on the planet, as evidenced by his lifetime average of 25 points per game.
In 1346 games played, Bryant scored 33,643 points, ranking him as the fourth-highest scorer in league history. In turn, Bryant won five NBA championships, an MVP award, two scoring championships, 18 All-Star Game selections, and much more. But the most transcendental legacy of his career was his mentality and competitiveness, which led him to become one of the best players in history, and to inspire thousands of players to this day.
3.- LeBron James
The only member of this list who is still active today; in his 19th season at the age of 37, James has the possibility to continue breaking NBA records and historical marks, one of which is the player with the most points scored. In third place on the list as of today, King James has 35,969 points in 1332 games so far, but this number will grow as time goes on.
The forward from Akron has already been considered by many as the best player in history thanks to his dominance, consistency, 4 championships, 4 MVP awards, 17 All-Star Game appearances and much more. And if LeBron’s pace keeps up for the next 2-3 years, nothing seems to be in his way of continuing to put his name at the top of the NBA.
2. Karl Malone
A 14-time All-Star, 2-time MVP, 14 All-NBA selections and remembered for being one of the most complete and hardest players to stop during the 1990s, the power forward made a name for himself and ranked second among the highest scoring players in elite history.
36,928 points in 1472 games is the record that leaves Karl Malone one step away from the top of this list. We can’t ignore the significant presence of someone so constant and effective in his NBA journey, despite never winning a title, averaging 25 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game across a 19-year career.
1.- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Undoubtedly, Kareem’s name would appear on this list, as he is one of the most dominant players in history. His track record speaks for itself: 6 NBA championships, 6 times league MVP, 2 times leading scorer, 4 times leading blocker, 19 times All-Star; at the moment, it’s tough to say what record he doesn’t have to his name.
Through 1560 games (second most in history behind Robert Parish), the New York center scored 38,387 in a 20-year career, finishing it with career averages of 24.6 points per game, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.6 blocks (highest average in history) with a 55% efficiency from the field.
The real question is, will these marks and records ever be beaten? It is only a matter of time before we know the answer, and even if that is the case, these players’ legacy will remain intact.
