Who is the All-Time Scoring Leader in the NBA?

The all-time scoring leader in the NBA is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who amassed 38,387 points over his 20-year career. Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time NBA champion and was named the league MVP a record six times. He was also a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the all-time scoring leader in the NBA. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers for the majority of his career, and is considered one of the greatest players in NBA history. He was a 19-time All-Star, and won six NBA championships.

Regular season

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.; April 16, 1947) is an American retired professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. During his career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a record 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. A member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two as an assistant coach, Abdul-Jabbar twice was voted NBA Finals MVP. In 1996, he was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. NBA coach Pat Riley and players Isiah Thomas and Julius Erving have called him the greatest basketball player of all time.

After winning 71 consecutive basketball games on his high school team in New York City, Alcindor was recruited by Brent Musburger to play college basketball for John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins. He played center on UCLA’s 1968 NCAA championship team and 1969 NCAA championship team that featured guard Reggie Miller. His college career ended with three consecutive NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championships titles and an unprecedented three Final Four Most Outstanding Player Awards (MOPs). In 1967–68 and 1968–69, he also won The Sporting News College Basketball Player of the Year Award. Alcindor took histalented “Lew Alcindor” moniker from his Italian immigrant parents when he converted to Islam just before attending college at UCLA in 1967. He became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar when he converted back to Islam upon retiring from the NBA in 1989; Kareem is Arabic for “generous one”. He married Janice Brown in 1971; they had three children together before divorcing in 1978.

Abdul-Jabbar was selected by the newly formed Milwaukee Bucks with the first overall pick in the 1969 NBA draft. He won Rookie of the Year honors averaging 28.8 points per game, 20 rebounds per game, 4 assists per game, and 2 blocks per game in 59 games played during the 1969–70 season. The next season he improved those numbers to 31 points per game, 16 rebounds per game, 4 assists per game bringing his total number of blocks up to 3 per game while appearing in all 82 games during the 1970–71 season which would be his best statistical year until his final season fourteen years later where he averaged 24 points per game while appearing in every single one of his team’s 82 games once again at age 38. That following off-season saw him help lead Team USA to gold medals at both the 1970 FIBA World Championship for Men and 1971 Pan American Games; both times being named tournament MVP along with being elected to FIBA’s World Championship All-Star Team both years as well.[6]

In 1974–75 he completed perhaps his finest all-around season: leading the league in scoring (27.0 ppg), blocked shots (4.5 bpg) and minutes played (3,Career achievements
631), while once again being second in rebounding average (16.9 rpg). He was deservedly named league MVP for a second straight year—and third overall—becoming only the second player ever to win back-to=back regular season MVP awards since Oscar Robertson did it five times consecutively from 1961 through 1965—and would later join Robertson as one of only two players ever to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists over an entire career.[21][22] The only other player ever to accomplish this feat has been Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain.[23] Abdul-Jabbar again helped lead Milwaukee to victory in Game 7 of the 1975 Eastern Conference Finals against Boston with another big performance: 38 points on 15–24 shooting from the field, 15 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.[24] But unfortunately for Abdul-Jabbar—and despite having home court advantage for Games 1 ,2 ,5 ,6 ,and 7 —the Bucks ultimately lost that series 4 games to 3 against an injury ravaged Washington Bullets team that featured fellow future Hall of Famers Elvin Hayes & Wes Unseld but were without leading scorer & rebounder Leonard Robinson who had broken his foot early on during Game 2 which Washington ultimately lost 109–102 . Afterward s , Bullets head coach Dick Motta would famously quip: “The opera ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings”.[25][26]

Playoffs

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played in the NBA for 20 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. He is the all-time leading scorer in NBA history with 38,387 points. Abdul-Jabbar was a six-time NBA champion, a 19-time All-Star, and was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player a record six times. He is also one of only four players to be named Finals MVP in three different decades. In 1996, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

Karl Malone

Karl Malone is the all-time scoring leader in the NBA with 36,928 points. He played his first 18 seasons with the Utah Jazz, and his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Malone was a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, a 14-time NBA All-Star, and an 11-time member of the All-NBA first team. He is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.

Regular season

Karl Malone is an American retired professional basketball player. He played the power forward position and spent his first 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Utah Jazz and formed a formidable partnership with John Stockton. Malone also played one season for the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a 14-time NBA All-Star, and an eight-time member of the All-NBA first team. His 36,928 career points scored rank second all time in NBA history behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and his 14,368 career rebounds rank fourth all time.

In 2010, Malone was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.

During his college years at Louisiana Tech University, Karl Malone scored 3,473 points between 1981 and 1985, averaging 21.7 points per game and 9.3 rebounds per game over his four seasons playing for head coach Andy Russo’s Bulldogs basketball team.

Playoffs

In the playoffs, Malone’s scoring increased to 26.0 points per game while shooting 52.7% from the field, as he helped lead the Jazz to their first ever NBA Finals appearance. Malone averaged 29.0 points per game in the Finals, but the Jazz ultimately lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games.

LeBron James

With 34,087 total points, LeBron James is the all-time scoring leader in the NBA. He has played in 1,190 games and has averaged 28.7 points per game. He is a four-time NBA MVP and a three-time NBA champion.

Regular season

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 basketball players of all time. James started playing organized basketball when he was five years old. He has played for three NBA teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Lakers.

In his seventeen seasons in the league, James has been named an All-Star sixteen times, won four NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, four NBA Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals. He has also been voted onto fourteen All-NBA First and Second Teams and ten NBA All-Defensive First and Second Teams. He is the pace setter for points scored in a career (36,928) as well as points scored in a season (2,837).

Playoffs

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 Finals, including ten straight with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers from 2011 through 2018. He has won four NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, two Finals MVP Awards, three All-Star Game MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals. James played basketball for St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, where he was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar. A prep-to-pro, he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers as the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. James led Cleveland to twelve playoff appearances and their first Finals appearance in 2007. In 2010, he left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in a highly publicized ESPN special titled The Decision.

In his first season with Miami, James won his first NBA championship. He followed that achievement with titles in 2012 and 2013 as well as an All-Star MVP award in 2012. After his fourth season with the Heat, James rejoined the Cavaliers . He led Cleveland to four consecutive Finals appearances from 2015 through 2018, winning three more championships in 2016 ,2017 ,2018 . In 2019 ,2021 ,2022 , he won his fourth NBA championship with the Lakers .

A thirteen-time All-Star and ten-time member of the All-NBA First Team, James is currently ranked seventh all time on both lists—behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (first), Karl Malone (second), LeBRon (third), Michael Jordan (fourth), Kobe Bryant (fifth), and Dirk Nowitzki (sixth)—and is considered one of only a handful of players who have ever been named to both lists downing through all fifteen seasons of their careers without ever falling below eleventh place.

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest basketball player of all time. He was a 10-time NBA scoring champion and is the all-time scoring leader in the NBA. Jordan also won six NBA championships, six NBA Finals MVP Awards, and five Regular Season MVP Awards.

Regular season

Michael Jordan is the all-time scoring leader in the NBA, with a total of 32,292 points. He played in 1,072 regular season games during his career, and averaged 30.1 points per game. Jordan also holds the record for most points in a season, with 2, 352 points in the 1986-87 season.

Playoffs

In the Playoffs, Jordan averaged 33.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.8 steals per game.[50] He scored a playoff career-high 63 points in Game 2 against the Boston Celtics in the 1986 First Round.[51][52] In Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics, with the Bulls trailing 106–103 with 18 seconds left in regulation and going for a tie, Jordan was double-teamed by Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge. He pump faked Johnson, who flew past him,[53] then dribbled around Ainge and made a jumper from the foul line with five seconds left to give the Bulls a 108–106 lead.[54][55] The Bulls would win 109–101 in overtime to take a 3–2 lead in the series,[56] but they would eventually lose 4–2.[57] In Game 1 of the 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jordan scored 44 points in a 121–115 overtime win.[58] The Cavaliers won Games 2 and 3 before Jordan scored 41 points in another overtime win in Game 4 to even up at 2 games apiece.[59> The game is also known for “The Shot”,[61][62] where Jordan made a buzzer beater over Craig Ehlo to win 101-100; this gave them a 3-2 lead. They ultimately won the series in 7 games.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant is the all-time leading scorer in the NBA. He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five NBA championships. He is a 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. He was the league MVP in 2008 and a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Regular season

Kobe Bean Bryant (/ˈkoʊbiː/ KOH-bee; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-season career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He entered the league directly from high school, and won five NBA championships with the Lakers. Bryant is an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. He led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, and ranks third on both the league’s all-time regular season scoring and all-time postseason scoring lists. He holds numerous NFL records, including most seasons playing with one franchise for an entire career, and is widely considered to be among the greatest basketball players of all time.

In 2016, he became the first player branded as a Nike athlete to have a signature shoe line with Nike entitled Kobe. In 2020, he was honored as one of only nine players in NBA history to have played at least 20 seasons with one franchise as he announced his retirement from playing professional basketball after signing a two-year contract extension with the Lakers earlier that year.

Playoffs

Kobe Bryant was one of the most dominant players in the NBA during his 20-year career. He was a five-time champion, a two-time Finals MVP, and a league MVP. He also holds the record for the most points scored in a career, with 33,643.

Bryant’s playoff career got off to a slow start. In his first three seasons, he averaged just 15.4 points per game as the Lakers were eliminated in the first round each year. But things changed in 2000, when Bryant became a starter and helped lead the Lakers to the NBA Finals. He averaged 23.8 points per game in that series, but the Lakers lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games.

The following year, Bryant and the Lakers got their revenge against the Pacers, defeating them en route to Kobe’s first NBA championship. He averaged 28.5 points per game in that series and was named Finals MVP. Kobe would go on to win four more championships with the Lakers (2001, 2002, 2009, 2010), cementing his legacy as one of the greatest players of all time.