Many prolific scorers have played in the NBA throughout the league’s history. These include era-defining players as well as their best teammates and scariest enemies. Narrowing down thousands of players into the 10 purest scorers is no easy task.
Differences in era, position, playstyle, usage and more must be taken into account. However, through thorough analysis, a determination of the top 10 can be made.
Some of the rankings will definitely be controversial. A player may have been better or worse had they played for a different coach. Maybe they would have been more dominant had they played 20 years before they did. No one knows. But this is the best possible list given the information we have.
And speaking of controversial, let’s start with the honorable mention:
Honorable Mention: Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain did once score 100 points in a game, the most ever. He was a giant athletic freak who was ahead of his time. But he falls outside the top 10 primarily because of the era he played in.
In the 1960s, the decade where Wilt played the majority of his career, players were nowhere near as fluid with the ball as they are in the modern era. Players were nowhere near as athletic and were not as quick laterally. People back then would’ve accused Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry of witchcraft if those two teleported back 60 years.
So, Wilt was comparatively better than many of the other names in this article, but easier competition made Wilt look like a better scorer than he really was.
10. Shaquille O’Neal
Arguably the most dominant big man ever, Shaquille O’Neal terrorized the NBA with a combination of size, athleticism and aggression. Kobe Bryant said himself that Shaq was never afraid to “be big” and impose his will and abilities on opponents.
Shaq averaged 20 points per game for the first 14 seasons of his career. He played against many of the best scorers and best players ever, making this feat even more impressive. While Shaq never had a good jump shot or good ball-handling skills, his post game, footwork, put-backs and alley-oop finishes meant he never needed those skills to be a stat sheet stuffer.
9. Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving is the best dribbler planet Earth has ever seen. He also has the most diverse bag of tricks the NBA has ever seen. As a three-level scorer, Kyrie can attack defenders just about any way he wants.
His finishing package is electric, featuring English finishes, in-air acrobatics, double-clutch reverse layups and more. He can create shots for himself through changes of speed and height or a simple step-back. He can even create opportunities out of the post, an ability not many point guards have.
Kyrie has been a scoring sensation since he was in college, and not long after, he was putting on shows in USA Basketball practices. Kyrie’s main battle over the years has been his health. He will miss this entire season with a torn ACL. His injuries have prevented him from scoring even more points throughout his career, but he’s still a menace on the court at all times.
8. Tracy McGrady
Tracy McGrady was one of the first truly elite scoring wings that could do everything. Like Kyrie, he could shoot at both the three-point and mid-range levels. While he didn’t have Kyrie’s handles, he made up for it with sheer athleticism and the height and wingspan to shoot over defenders.
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T-Mac threw down some of the nastiest dunks the world has ever seen and led the NBA in scoring twice. He was elite at finishing around the rim. In 2002-03, he averaged 32.1 points per game. Unfortunately, like Kyrie, his health became a struggle, and injuries shortened his career.
7. Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic may be young, but he’s earned his place as the seventh-best scorer of all time. His scoring has highlighted his meteoric rise. He averaged 21.2 points per game in his first season, and has averaged at least 27.7 in every season after that. He is currently on pace to average over 32 points per game for the third season in his career.
Let’s not gloss over Luka’s efficiency either. He led the league in field goals attempted for three seasons as the first scoring option in Dallas and still holds a career 46.8 field goal percentage. Luka doesn’t have the athleticism of the aforementioned players, but he’s crafty and reads defenses at such a high level that it doesn’t matter. The ball is going in the hoop.
6. James Harden
James Harden played eight full seasons in Houston. He led the NBA in both free throws made and attempted for seven of them. While many see “foul-baiting” as unethical, it’s one way to score more points, and Harden was its founding father.
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Harden wreaked so much havoc that teams began guarding him from the side. Some players have even defended him with their hands behind their backs. But that wasn’t his only way of striking fear into opponents.
Harden is one of, if not the best, at lulling people to sleep before making a quick move, either resulting in a drilled three or a blow-by. He made a living off of it, leading the league in scoring not once, not twice, but three times in a row! He averaged 30.4, 36.1 and 34.3 points per game in those three seasons. Of the 15 highest-scoring seasons of all time, he’s one of three players with more than one. The other two? Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.
And if you thought foul-baiting was the only way Harden was going to find rulebook loopholes, you’re wrong. He found a way to condense his steps to create more distance on his step-backs, leading to ridiculous but legal moves that many thought were travels.
While Harden is out of his prime, he’s still going strong. His style is unique and one of the few that have pioneered parts of today’s game. If he can go on a tear, he just might add a ring to his resume this season.
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