The HyperTexts
NBA Greatest Scorers of All Time
PPG Leaders (Points Per Game)
Who were the greatest NBA scorers of all time? The all-time points rankings
are not the best measuring rod, because players with extremely long careers may
have been much less dynamic scorers than players with fewer points. To find the
all-time great scorers we have to consult a stat called PPG (Points Per Game).
However, raw PPG stats don't tell the whole story, so I have also provided my
subjective rankings along with reasons for each
player's inclusion or exclusion. Two things I consider in my rankings are scoring efficiency (career field
goal percentage) and the possible changes in scoring numbers due to the introduction of
the three-pointer.
My personal Top Ten NBA Scorers of All Time
1. Wilt Chamberlain: While he's in a virtual tie with Michael Jordan at 30.07
PPG for his career, Chamberlain toned down his scoring in his later years to
concentrate on defense, rebounding, passing and team leadership. No player in
NBA history comes close to what Chamberlain accomplished when he was
really
trying to score as much as possible. From his rookie year up to his age 30
season, Chamberlain never scored below 30 PPG, and his 50.4 PPG in 1960-61 will
almost surely never be topped. His career field goal percentage of .540 is
second on this list only to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's. And Chamberlain was consistently
accurate, leading the NBA in FGP for nine of his fourteen seasons. Furthermore,
his FGP was still going UP when he retired,
since he led the NBA in FGP at age 35
(.649) and age 36 (.727). When it comes to pure scoring, no NBA player
rivals Chamberlain, and he was also a dominating rebounder and defender who was
such a good passer that he's the only center ever to lead the NBA in total
assists (which he did during his 1967-68 MVP season when he averaged 24.3
points, 23.8 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game). The man known as The Big Dipper
and Wilt the Stilt owns the four highest scoring seasons in NBA history, with
50.36, 44.83, 38.89 and 37.60. He also owns five of the top six, and half of the
top twelve. There really is no debate about the NBA's greatest
scorer, only a battle for second, which may be closer than one might expect ...
2. Michael Jordan: The man known as "Air Jordan" is the number two scorer on my
all-time list, at 30.12 PPG for his stellar career. So much has been said about
him, there's not much left to say. But I will add that he was a clutch shooter,
an incredible athlete, and a great defender. Also his career field goal
percentage of .497 is better than that of most of the scorers in my top ten. But Jordan was not as good an outside shooter as Jerry
West and Pete Maravich, so an interesting question about the three-pointer
becomes: "What would have happened with a level playing field?" And I find it
ironic that MJ's championship rings are used to argue that he was the GOAT
("greatest of all time"). Jordan's teams didn't win
anything his first six years, which included seasons in which he
averaged 37.1, 35.0, 32.5 and 33.6 points per page. MJ was a great scorer who
became a winner only
when the Bulls assembled superior teams that included players like
Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, John
Paxon, Steve Kerr, Ron Harper, et al. To me it makes absolutely no sense to say
that MJ is the GOAT because he played on superior teams. When Wilt Chamberlain
was lucky enough to play on superior teams, he won too. But his teams usually
ended up playing the Boston Celtics when they had the superior team. By
the "rings" logic, the best player of all time was Bill Russell, because he has
the most rings (11). And his teammates would be superior to MJ because they had more
rings: Sam Jones (10), K. C. Jones (8), Tom Heinsohn (8), Tom Sanders (8), John
Havilcek (8), Frank Ramsey (7), and Jim Loscutoff (7). But of course it makes no
sense at all to say Jim Loscutoff was "greater" than MJ because he had more
rings. Thus it makes no sense to say that MJ was "greater" than other great
players because his teams won more rings. If we put MJ on the worst team in the
NBA, would he suddenly no longer be great? No, he would still be great but his
team wouldn't win any rings.
3. Jerry West: I think the man known as "The Logo" will probably remain securely
in fourth place on the all-time PPG list when all is said and done, just behind
his former teammates Chamberlain and Baylor. But imagine what the sharpshooting West would have averaged per game with the
three-pointer! I have no doubt that he would be challenging Chamberlain and
Jordan for the top spot. West's .474 field goal percentage and his range suggest that he
would have been one of the all-time best three-point marksmen. And people who
saw him play say West could get his shot off quicker then Steph Curry. So I am
moving West up to number three on my personal list.
4. Elgin Baylor: It remains to be seen whether LeBron James or Kevin Durant can
pass Baylor's 27.36 PPG. It seems more likely that their PPGs will decline,
especially if they elect to continue playing past their primes. So I think
Baylor will remain in third place on the career PPG list, but only time can tell
for sure. Baylor is fourth on my list because he would not have benefitted as
much as Jerry West from the three-pointer. Also, his .431 field goal percentage
falls short of my top three. But it's hard to argue with that brilliant 27.36
scoring average. And Baylor was the prototype of the athletically gifted,
acrobatic small forwards to come: Dr. J, Dominique Wilkins, et al. The first
pick in the first round of the 1958 NBA draft, Baylor averaged 24.9 points as a
rookie, then racked up seasons of 29.6, 34.8, 38.3 and 34.0 in one of the
hottest scoring streaks in NBA history. And he did it while grabbing close to 20
rebounds per game and averaging around five assists. His 1961-62 season, in
which he averaged 38.3 points, 18.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists, is second only to
Chamberlain's best years in "complete offensive domination."
5. Pete Maravich: I'm sure this will be my most controversial pick. But Pete
Maravich had seasons in which he averaged 31.1, 27.7, 27.0, 26.1, and 25.9
points per game. He did this while being his team's primary ball-handler, with
everyone knowing "Pistol Pete" was also the primary scoring threat. And he did it
without the three-pointer. When the three-pointer was introduced toward the end
of his career, Maravich connected on .667 of his attempts (granted, the sample
size is skimpy). The mind boggles at
what he might have done in the modern NBA. And his career field goal percentage
of .441 is rather amazing considering his "degree of difficulty." No one ever
made impossible shots look as "easy" as the Pistol. Also, when Maravich died
prematurely, it turned out that he had a congenital heart defect. What if he had
been perfectly healthy and had the three-pointer? Again, the mind boggles.
6. Oscar Robertson: I have moved Oscar Robertson up in my personal rankings
because his career field goal percentage (.485) is much better than that of
Allen Iverson (.425) and Bob Pettit (.436). There is more to scoring than just
raw points per game. Robertson was a more efficient scorer, and he would have
probably have benefitted more from the three-pointer than Pettit. Furthermore,
the Big O may have been the best all-round guard in NBA history, or he's right
up there with Jordan, West and Magic. If I'm picking an all-time team, mine has
Robertson in the backcourt.
7. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: The sky hook left defenders defenseless and helped
Jabbar top this list with a stellar .559 field goal percentage. Also, Jabbar's
24.6 career average is a bit misleading. He played so long that his overall
average declined with age. In his prime he was good for around 26 points and 14 rebounds, regular
as clockwork. But he wouldn't have been helped by the three-pointer as much as
West, Baylor, Maravich and Robertson.
8. Larry Bird: The gunslinger known as "Larry Legend" was the greatest clutch shooter
in NBA history. And he may
have been the best all-round shooter as well. Bird's field goal percentage
was .509 on two-point shots and he wasn't padding his stats with dunks. He was
one of the best three-point shooters of his era, connecting better than .400 six
times and winning the first three three-point contests. And he made .886 of his
free throws. Furthermore he averaged 10.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists. If he were
starting over today with the modern game's focus on three-pointers, the savvy
Bird would be practicing and shooting more three-pointers, I'm sure, and would
probably rise in this list accordingly.
9. Rick Barry and Dominque Wilkins (tie): Barry was
one of the all-time best free throw shooters (.900) despite shooting them
underhanded, and he would have benefitted from having the three-pointer during
his prime years. (He averaged 30.5 PPG during his ABA days with the
three-pointer.) In his prime Wilkins, known as the "Human Highlight Film," was a
dominating scorer and his .461 field goal percentage is considerably better than
that of Iverson and Pettit.
10. Karl Malone and George Gervin (tie): Someone as big and strong as the
Mailman should have been able to make better than .516 percent of his field
goals, but it's hard to argue with 25.2 PPG and better-than-average accuracy.
Gervin, the "Iceman," was almost as accurate (.511) while shooting mostly from
the outside but oddly his three-point accuracy was under .300.
My Revised "Level Playing Field" List
This is my projected list if everyone started out from scratch with the modern
emphasis on three-pointers: Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Pete Maravich, Larry
Bird, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Rick Barry, Elgin
Baylor, George Gervin, Dominique Wilkins, Karl Malone.
Near Misses and Honorable Mentions
Bernard King: A former New York City playground legend, Bernard King formed the
"Ernie and Bernie Show" when he joined Ernie Gunfeld at the University of
Tennessee and was a three-time All-American despite skipping his senior year to
go pro. King was also a three-time SEC player of the year; the only other
three-time winner was Pete Maravich. As an NBA rookie, King scored 24.2 PPG and
set the New Jersey Nets franchise record for points in a season. He quickly
developed into a high volume scorer with superior accuracy despite standing only
six-foot-seven; for instance he averaged 21.9 PPG with a .588 FGP at age 24. His
keys to scoring were quickness of foot and a quick release. After returning to
New York to play with the Knicks, at age 27 he averaged 26.3 PPG with a
glittering .572 FGP. At age 28 he averaged 32.9 with a .530 FGP. King had three
50 point games (two consecutive) and one 60 point game within a calendar year
and scored 34.8 during the 1984 playoffs. But at the height of his glory,
devastating knee injuries cost him two years and severely hampered the rest of
his career. King never recovered his pre-injury explosiveness. At age 34 he
completed his comeback by completely revamping his game, averaging 28.4 PPG
despite his physical limitations. King became the oldest All-Star game starter,
only to be forced to retire when his knees gave out again. For his career King
averaged 22.5 PPG with a .518 FGA, but that was just a shadow of what he had
done in his prime before his injuries. The only NBA players with higher season
scoring averages than Bernard King's 32.9 are Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan,
Rick Barry, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob McAdoo, Elgin Baylor, Nate
"Tiny" Archibald, and George Gervin. That's how good he was, and he was still
getting better when disaster struck.
Adrian Dantley: A rather amazing player, he averaged
24.3 PPG with a .540 FGP while shooting mostly inside at only six-foot-five!
Kobe Bryant: Bryant's .447 career field goal percentage is not terrible but not
great, and he took 4 three-pointers per game while only making .329. But his
24.99 career scoring average is hard to ignore.
Allen Iverson: His .425 career field goal percentage is not good enough to make
my top ten, but he was a dynamic scorer.
Bob Pettit: He was a star of a very different game, but a .436 field goal
percentage is low for a big man.
Julius Erving: The high-flying Dr. J averaged 28.7 in the ABA, but only 22.0 for
his NBA career, with just one season above 25 PPG.
Shaquille O'Neal: The man known as "Shaq" averaged 23.69 PPG with a .582 FGP.
There's no telling how much his woeful .527 free throw percentage hurt his
scoring, because opposing teams would employ the "hack a Shaq" defensive
technique, preferring their odds with Shaq at the line.
George Mikan: At six-foot-ten, Mikan was the NBA's first superstar big man. He
led the NBA in scoring for three consecutive seasons and finished with career
averages of
23.13 PPG and .404 FGP.
Bob McAdoo: In his prime, McAdoo led the NBA in scoring for three consecutive
seasons with averages of 31.1, 34.5 and 30.6; he had seven seasons in which he
averaged 25.8 or higher. His career averages were 22.1 PPG and .503 FGP.
Neil Johnston: A six-foot-eight center, Johnston led the NBA in scoring for
three consecutive seasons and finished with career averages of
19.42 PPG and .444 FGP.
Up-and-Coming: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Joel
Embid, Kemba Walker, Anthony Davis, Damian LillardNBA All-Time PPG Leaders (Points Per Game)
* Indicates a member of the Hall of Fame
Rank
PPG
1. Michael Jordan*
30.12
2. Wilt Chamberlain*
30.07
3. Elgin Baylor*
27.36
4. LeBron James
27.18
5. Kevin Durant
27.13
6. Jerry West*
27.03
7. Allen Iverson*
26.66
8. Bob Pettit*
26.36
9. Oscar Robertson*
25.68
10. George Gervin*
25.09
11. Karl Malone*
25.02
12. Kobe Bryant
24.99
13. Dominique Wilkins*
24.83
14. Rick Barry*
24.78
15. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar* 24.61
16. Larry Bird*
24.29
17. Adrian Dantley*
24.27
18. Pete Maravich*
24.24
19. Julius Erving*
24.16
20. Carmelo Anthony
24.01
21. Shaquille O'Neal*
23.69
22. Anthony Davis
23.54
23. Damian Lillard
23.24
24. Stephen Curry
23.22
25. George Mikan*
23.13
26. James Harden
23.12
27. Russell Westbrook
22.98
28. Paul Arizin*
22.81
29. David Thompson*
22.67
30. Dan Issel*
22.56
31. Bernard King*
22.49
32. Dwyane Wade
22.40
33. Charles Barkley*
22.14
34. Bob McAdoo*
22.05
35. Kyrie Irving
22.01
36. Geoff Petrie
21.82
37. Hakeem Olajuwon*
21.77
38. Blake Griffin
21.57
39. DeMarcus Cousins
21.53
40. Alex English*
21.47
41. Dirk Nowitzki
21.20
42. Billy Cunningham*
21.18
43. David Robinson*
21.06
44. Mitch Richmond*
21.00
45. Patrick Ewing*
20.98
46. Elvin Hayes*
20.96
47. John Havlicek*
20.78
48. Charlie Scott*
20.69
49. John Drew
20.69
50. Glenn Robinson
20.69
51. John Brisker
20.69
52. Chris Webber
20.68
53. Gilbert Arenas
20.66
54. Clyde Drexler*
20.44
55. Dave Bing*
20.34
56. Moses Malone*
20.33
57. Spencer Haywood*
20.27
58. World B. Free
20.27
59. Bob Verga
20.23
60. George McGinnis*
20.20
61. Lou Hudson
20.16
62. Marques Johnson
20.10
63. Walt Bellamy*
20.08
64. Bob Lanier*
20.07
65. Darel Carrier
20.03
66. Mark Aguirre
20.00
67. DeMar DeRozan
19.83
68. Mike Mitchell
19.78
69. Kiki Vandeweghe
19.73
70. Paul Pierce
19.66
71. Tracy McGrady*
19.60
72. Magic Johnson*
19.54
73. Neil Johnston*
19.42
74. Levern Tart
19.40
75. LaMarcus Aldridge
19.37
76. Klay Thompson
19.29
77. Stephon Marbury
19.26
78. Kemba Walker
19.25
79. Chris Bosh
19.25
80. Jack Twyman*
19.25
81. Hal Greer*
19.24
82. Isiah Thomas*
19.23
83. George Yardley*
19.20
84. Larry Jones
19.07
85. Jamal Mashburn
19.06
86. Jeff Malone
19.04
87. Tim Duncan
19.03
88. Michael Redd
19.03
89. Yao Ming*
19.03
90. John Wall
18.96
91. Brad Daugherty
18.96
92. Derrick Rose
18.92
93. Amar'e Stoudemire
18.91
94. Walter Davis
18.90
95. Walt Frazier*
18.89
96. Donnie Freeman
18.88
97. Isaiah Thomas
18.86
98. Ray Allen*
18.85
99. Earl Monroe*
18.85
100. Paul George
18.82
Related Pages:
Who is the NBA GOAT?,
NBA All-Time PPG Leaders,
NBA Greatest Scorers,
NBA Greatest Shooters,
Weird Sports Trivia,
Weird Baseball Facts and Trivia,
Best Baseball Nicknames,
Mike Trout Nicknames,
Is Mike Trout the GOAT?,
Baseball Hall of Fame: The Best Candidates,
Why Pete Rose Should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame,
Baseball's All-Time Leaders in WAR per Season,
Baseball's All-Time Leaders in WAR7,
All-Time Cincinnati Reds Baseball Team,
Big Red Machine Chronology,
The Greatest Baseball Infields of All Time,
Cincinnati Reds Trivia
The HyperTexts