Who Leads the NBA in Scoring?

The NBA season is well underway and the race for the scoring title is heating up. Who are the leading contenders?

Introduction

In the National Basketball Association (NBA), a player who scores the most points in a game is said to have “led” his team in scoring. The term “scorer” can be applied to points scored in other ways, such as by shooting free throws, or scoring on putbacks after offensive rebounds. However, in general, the term “scorer” is most often used to refer to points scored during the course of play, as opposed to points scored from the free throw line.

Current Scoring Leaders

The NBA has many great scorers, but only a few can be at the top of the leaderboard. Currently, the top three scorers in the NBA are James Harden, Trae Young, and Damian Lillard.

Russell Westbrook

As of the end of the 2019-2020 NBA regular season, Russell Westbrook is the current leader in scoring, averaging a career-high 31.2 points per game. Westbrook is followed by James Harden, Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard, and Trae Young.

James Harden

Houston Rockets guard James Harden leads the NBA in scoring this season, averaging 34.3 points per game. Harden is a six-time All-Star and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2018. He is one of the most accomplished scorers in NBA history, and he shows no signs of slowing down.

LeBron James

As of February 12th, 2020, LeBron James leads the NBA in scoring with 27.1 points per game. He is closely followed by Giannis Antetokounmpo with 26.7 points per game. These two players have been leading the pack for most of the season, with a few games where James was ahead and a few where Antetokounmpo was ahead. However, over the course of the season, James has averaged more points per game and has held the title of scoring leader for the majority of the season.

All-Time Scoring Leaders

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a men’s professional basketball league in North America, composed of 30 teams. It was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, with the name Basketball Association of America (BAA). The NBA is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues, the other three being Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL). Michael Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest player in NBA history.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.; April 16, 1947) is an American former 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 career statistics: 38,387 points (All-time scoring leader), 17,440 rebounds, 3,189 blocks
Through his prolific career, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been an iconic figure in the sport of basketball. He is the all time leading scorer in NBA history, and his impact has been felt on and off the court. For his dedication to the game and his many accomplishments, he is considered one of the greatest players of all time.

Karl Malone

Karl Malone is an American retired professional basketball player. He played the power forward position and spent his first 18 seasons (1985–2003) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Utah Jazz and formed a formidable duo with his teammate John Stockton. Malone also played one season (2003–2004), his final season of professional basketball, with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a two-time NBA Most valuable Player (MVP), 14-time NBA All-Star, and an 11-time member of the All-NBA first team. His 36,928 career points scored rank second all time; he is also the second player in NBA history to average a double-double for his career.

Malone began his college basketball career at Louisiana Tech University. He was selected by the Jazz in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft with the 13th overall pick, and he spent his entire professional playing career with Utah. He became recognized as one of the best power forwards in NBA history due to his scoring prowess, prolific rebounding, and ability to create space for teammates on offense with his extroverted personality off of it. He played in an era dominated by centers, including Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Dikembe Mutombo; despite this hindrance to Malone’s offensive development as a post player in comparison to these defenders, he still adapted his game to become one of those rare breed “centers among forwards”, a mobile big man who could run like a wing player yet post up like a center.

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 basketball players of all time. James has won three NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, three Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals. He has also been selected to fourteen NBA All-Star teams, thirteen All-NBA teams, and six All-Defensive teams.

Conclusion

As of the end of the 2019-2020 NBA regular season, Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden leads the league in scoring, averaging 34.3 points per game.