Who is the highest scorer in NBA history? In basketball, the highest scorer in NBA history is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He earned athletic fame while being a member of the Milwaukee Bucks (1969–71), Los Angeles Lakers (1971–89), and briefly with the Boston Celtics (1989–90) of the National Basketball Association. Since his time, basketball has evolved in many ways due to the contribution of many great players. Although, the only player in the NBA today can hope to catch Kareem someday, and that man is Lebron James. Labron is having a terrific season this year. He is most likely to surpass Kareem in a few NBA seasons.
Ranking the highest scorer in NBA history
| Rank | Player Name | Career Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 38,387 |
| 2. | Lebron James | 36,985 |
| 3. | Karl Malone | 36,928 |
| 4. | Kobe Bryant | 33,643 |
| 5. | Michael Jordan | 32,292 |
| 6. | Dirk Nowitzki | 31,560 |
| 7. | Wilt Chamberlain | 31,419 |
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar- The all-time highest scorer in NBA
He was born on April 16, 1947, in New York City. In high school and college, he set many scoring records and won three NCAA championships with UCLA. The Milwaukee Bucks drafted him in 1969. Abdul-Jabbar became Rookie of the Year that year and Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1971. In 1975 he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played until his retirement in 1989. While with the Lakers, he won five more MVP awards and three NBA titles. He spent a record 20 seasons in the NBA.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is now the leading scorer in the NBA and also a Basketball Hall of Famer. He was the first pick in the 1969 NBA draft after a sensational career at UCLA. In 20 seasons, Kareem won six league MVP awards, 19 All-Star Game selections, and also six championships. He retired in 1989 as the league’s leading scorer with 38,387 points.
2. Lebron James- the second–highest scorer in NBA
James is one of the greatest basketball players in the NBA. Lebron has a great career. He is the second-highest scorer of all time in the NBA. The 6-foot-8, 250-pound James also became the youngest player in NBA history to score 20,000 points. Furthermore, he is a three-time league MVP and a 13-time All-Star.
In 2013, James led the Miami Heat to their second straight NBA championship, as a result defeating the San Antonio Spurs. He was named the Finals MVP. He is one of only four players to win at least three NBA championships, an NBA Finals MVP Award, an NBA Most Valuable Player Award, an Olympic gold medal, and an NCAA championship. In the history of the NBA, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has scored more points than Lebron James. Also, at this rate, Lebron is likely to become the all-time leading scorer soon.
3. Karl Malone
Karl Malone was the NBA’s most dominant power forward of the 1990s. His career scoring numbers rank him third in NBA history. Malone is a six-time Most Valuable Player who notched 36,928 career points and averaged 25 points per game during his illustrious 19-year career. He is known as the “Mailman” because he always delivers. Although he came close in 1997 and 1998, Malone never won an NBA championship with the Utah Jazz; however, he did play on the gold medal-winning 1996 U.S men’s Olympic basketball team.
In 2003, Malone turned 40 years old and still showed no signs of slowing down. He joined forces with Shaquille O’Neal for the 2003-04 season in hopes of bringing an NBA title to Los Angeles. However, injuries hampered both players throughout the season, and the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs by Detroit in 2004. The Lakers had won three straight championships from 2000-02, and many felt that if Malone had been able to play at full strength, they could have also beaten Detroit.
4. Kobe Bryant
Bryant is well known for his nickname Black Mamba. Kobe Bryant, who scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2006, has also averaged over 25 points per game throughout his career. His 33,643 career points are the fourth-highest total in NBA history.
He is a five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and was named the Most Valuable Player in 2008. He also won two gold medals with Team USA at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Bryant played in 18 consecutive All-Star Games from 1998 to 2016, and also 11 All-NBA First Teams and 9 All-Defensive First Teams. He is considered one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history and also holds several All-Star Game records, including
5. Michael Jordan
Jordan is the greatest basketball player in history. He led the league in scoring a record ten times, including seven consecutive seasons. Moreover, Jordan’s career average of 30.1 points per game ranks third all-time, and his average of 33.4 points per game in the playoffs is the highest ever. During his time with Chicago, he scored 40+ points in nine consecutive playoff games.
Jordan was known for his spectacular leaping ability, and also his trademark slam dunk from the foul line at the 1988 slam dunk contest. He also possessed ball-handling skills, demonstrated by his mastery of “the crossover” – a move in which he would switch the ball quickly from one hand to the other while dribbling past an opponent. His competitive spirit made him a clutch performer who thrived on pressure situations during games and was a notorious practitioner of trash talk – nonstop chatter meant to distract or annoy an opponent – on defense.
6. Dirk Nowitzki
Nowitzki was the ninth pick in the 1998 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and got immediately traded to the Mavericks, where he has played since. He is an eleven-time All-Star, a twelve-time All-NBA Team member, and also the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award winner. Nowitzki led the Mavericks to 15 Playoffs, including the franchise’s first Finals appearance in 2006 and also the only championship in 2011.
He is currently ranked sixth in all-time career points scored in NBA history. As a child, Nowitzki was inspired by his idol Detlef Schrempf (also German). Since his second year in the NBA, Nowitzki has led the league in scoring 50 times.
7. Wilt Chamberlain
Lastly, Chamberlain is seventh among all NBA players in career points. It’s hard to imagine a player ever scoring as many points as Chamberlain did, even though there are now more games per season and three-pointers are worth 50% more points. But what it really reflects is how much better Chamberlain was than anyone else.
He could run the 100-yard dash in 10.9 seconds. He once scored 100 points in a single game, a feat no other player has come close to matching. But he didn’t just score points by shooting baskets: he also rebounded with force and authority. By the time his career was over, he had set 33 NBA records, some of which still stand today.
Also, check out: the highest assists in the NBA history.
Conclusion
So here is the article on the highest scorer in NBA history. If you liked our article please leave your thoughts in the comment box below. The information for this article is from NBA.com. Our website (www.beginbasketball.com) does not claim for the accuracy of the information since the topic is subject to future changes.
