Who Has the Most points Scored in the NBA?
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We all know that LeBron James is one of the best basketball players in the world. But did you know that he also holds the record for the most points scored in a single NBA game? That’s right, LeBron scored an impressive 82 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors back in 2006.
So, if you’re ever wondering who has the most points scored in the NBA, the answer is LeBron James!
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American former professional basketball player who is the principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. His biography on the official NBA website states: “By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.” Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.
Regular Season
In the regular season, Jordan ranks first in career points per game (30.12), field goals made (12,192), and three-point field goals made (2,188). He also ranks second in steals (2,514) and games played (1, 251). He is one of only two players in NBA history to average more than 30 points per game for their entire career. The other is Wilt Chamberlain. Jordan also holds the record for the most seasons scoring more than 30 points per game (10), and the most consecutive seasons scoring more than 30 points per game (8).
Playoffs
In the NBA playoffs, MJ averaged 33.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. His highest scoring game was 63 points against the Boston Celtics in the 1986 playoffs. He also holds the record for most points in a playoff series with 669, which he scored in the 1992 NBA Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers.
LeBron James
LeBron James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in NBA history. James has appeared in fifteen NBA All-Star Games, twelve of them consecutively, and been named the All-Star MVP four times. He has also been a member of the All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams twelve times each.
Regular Season
As of the end of the 2019-2020 regular season, LeBron James has amassed a total of 34,241 points. This puts him at 7th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Playoffs
LeBron James has been to the NBA Finals ten times in his career, winning three championships. He is widely considered one of the best players in NBA history.
In the playoffs, James has averaged 28.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game. He has also shot 50.4 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from three-point range.
James has played in 212 playoff games, which is the fourth-most in NBA history. He trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (237), Karl Malone (233) and Michael Jordan (179).
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. As of December 2019, he ranks third on the NBA’s all-time regular season scoring list.
Regular Season
Kobe Bryant played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five NBA championships. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. A 13-time NBA All-Star and 18-time All-NBA selection, Bryant was an inducted member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
Bryant started his professional career directly out of high school, and he played at a time when the NBA allowed players to be drafted out of high school. He entered the 1996 NBA draft and was selected with the 13th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Lakers. As a rookie, he averaged 15.5 points per game over 71 games. He was named to the 1997 All-Rookie Second Team. In his second season, he improved to 19.9 points per game and was selected to his first All-Star team.
Playoffs
Kobe Bryant has the most points scored in the NBA Playoffs with 5,640.
Karl Malone
Malone’s career total of 36,928 points scored is the second most in NBA history, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387. He is one of only two players, along with LeBron James, to average at least 20 points per game in each of his first 14 seasons. Malone was a 14-time NBA All-Star, an All-Star Game MVP, and a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Regular Season
In the regular season, Karl Malone scored 36,928 points over the course of his 19-year career with the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers. Malone is second on the NBA’s all-time scoring list behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Playoffs
In the playoffs, Malone’s scoring and rebounding averages both increased. He averaged 28.0 points and 11.4 rebounds per game in 157 playoff games. Malone scored double figures in points 143 times, including 35 games with at least 20 points, eight 30-point games, and one 40-point game. He also grabbed double-digit rebounds in 78 playoff games, including 15 games with at least 20 points and four 30-point games. Malone led the Jazz to the NBA Finals twice, in 1997 and 1998, but they lost both times to the Chicago Bulls. In the 1997 Finals, he averaged 27.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. The following year, he averaged 26.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki is a retired German professional basketball player. He played a total of 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), spending the last 18 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. He is considered one of the greatest power forwards of all time. Nowitzki is the sixth player in NBA history to score over 30,000 points. He is also a 12-time All-Star and won the 2011 NBA Finals MVP.
Regular Season
Dirk Nowitzki is a German former professional basketball player. An alumnus of the University of Wisconsin, he played his entire 21-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Dallas Mavericks, setting numerous league shooting records. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time and has been ranked as the sixth-greatest player in NBA history by ESPN.
Nowitzki was a consistent All-Star and won the All-Star Game MVP Award in 2007. He led the Mavericks to 15 NBA Playoffs, including two Finals appearances. In 2011, he finally won his first NBA Championship after a decade of close calls, defeating LeBron James and the Miami Heat in six games. Nowitzki was named the Finals MVP, becoming just the second European-born player to receive that honor after Tony Parker. He is one of only seven players who have played at least 20 seasons in the NBA.
In December 2012, Nowitzki became the sixth player in NBA history to score 30,000 points while also recording 15,000 rebounds; he joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (the all-time leader), Karl Malone, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James as the only players to achieve this feat .On March 7th, 2019, he scored his 31st point to pass Wilt Chamberlain for 6th on the NBAs all time scoring list. He currently has 31,540 points which is good for 5th on NBAs all time scoring list behind Kareem Abdul Jabbar (38387), Karl Malone (36928), LeBron James (34831), and Kobe Bryant(33643).
In April 2014, Nowitzki led Dallas to a playoff berth for a 13th consecutive season despite significant setbacks due largely to injuries to key players such as Shawn Marion and younger star Monta Ellis. In Game 4 of their first round Western Conference playoff series against eventual champion San Antonio Spurs, Nowitzki had 21 points but missed a potential game-tying shot near the end of regulation as the Mavericks were eliminated in a four-game sweep. The following season saw Dallas win 50 games but lose in five games again during their first round matchup with Houston Rockets.
Playoffs
In the playoffs, Nowitzki averaged 26.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He is the only player in NBA history to record at least 2,000 points, 900 rebounds, 150 3-pointers, and 150 blocks in the playoffs. He holds the record for the most free throws made and attempted in a playoff career. In 2006, he carried Dallas to victory against the heavily favored New Jersey Nets with a Game 6 performance that earned him Finals MVP honors. In Dirk’s words “It was just my night”, as he shot 9-of-14 from three-point range to score 48 points, setting an NBA Finals record for most three-pointers made in a game. It was a series defining moment as Nowitzki et al., came back from a 0-2 deficit to win the next four games and capture Dallas’ first ever NBA Championship.