2003 NBA Draft Class: 10 Players Who Scored The Most Career Points

The 2003 NBA Draft is arguably the most talented draft class of all time. From top to bottom, this draft is filled with the most recognizable names in the sport. Today, we will continue our draft class series by ranking the 2003 NBA draftees by how many career points they scored. At the top are 3 of the greatest scorers to ever step foot in the NBA. The rest of the list is made up of players who you will recognize immediately and may even be surprised that they are grouped in with these legends.

As is the case with every list we make, there are some notable players on the outside looking in as far as scoring in this draft class goes. Josh Howard was known for his time with the Dallas Mavericks during the 2000s, and you’d be surprised to find out that he ranks just 14th as far as points scored go from this class. Zaza Pachulia, known best for his time with the Warriors, ranks 13th, and Clippers legend Chris Kaman just missed the cut in 11th with 8,208 career points. Now, it is time to break down the top 10 from this draft and have your NBA memories from the past 20 seasons unlocked.

These are the 10 players from the 2003 NBA Draft who scored the most career points.

10. Leandro Barbosa – 9,035 Points

Leandro Barbosa is remembered for his role on the Phoenix Suns during the 2000s. As mostly a backup guard, Barbosa was a quick defender and provided much-needed shooting and scoring off of the bench. He was super agile and fast in the open court. He had no problem finishing at the rim on transition opportunities or pulling it out for a sweet and smooth-looking 3-pointer. Barbosa spent 14 seasons in the NBA with the Suns, Warriors, Raptors, Celtics, and Pacers.

There is no doubt that Barbosa’s best offensive seasons came early in his career with the Phoenix Suns. By his 3rd season, he was averaging 13.1 PPG off of the bench on 48.1% shooting. The following season in 2007, Barbosa had the best scoring season of his career. He averaged 18.1 PPG on 47.6% shooting overall and 43.4% from three. His scoring and playing time tapered off after he left the Suns, but at his peak, he was one of the best bench players in basketball.

9. Boris Diaw – 9,139 Points

Boris Diaw was a uniquely skilled player in his 14-year NBA career, most notably with the Suns, Bobcats, and Spurs. Diaw could legitimately play at any position on the court and was a tremendous passer with great court vision for his size. He was as versatile as it gets on both sides of the ball, able to defend and play any position that was asked of him. Oftentimes, Diaw deferred to his teammates much too often when he could have easily taken over games himself.

Diaw split his time between starting and coming off of the bench both with the Suns and Hornets early in his career. He had just one double-digit scoring season with the Suns early on, averaging 13.3 PPG in 81 games during the 2005-06 season, winning the Most Improved Player award as a result. With more of a starting role with the Bobcats, Diaw posted back-to-back 11.0 PPG seasons in 2010 and 2011 before moving on to the San Antonio Spurs. With the Spurs, Diaw was mostly a role player off of the bench but played a significant enough role in their 2014 NBA championship run. Diaw retired in 2017 after one final season with the Hornets.

8. Kirk Hinrich – 9,594 Points

Kirk Hinrich was one of the faces of the Baby Bulls in Chicago during the 2000s, and his play took center stage. He was extremely valuable as a combo guard who could both pass and score at a decent rate. He displayed toughness and intensity on the court, which made him a fan favorite in Chicago. He could really shoot the ball both from the free throw line and beyond the arc, which is how he accumulated most of the points in his career. Injuries derailed him later in his career, but his time with Chicago is the stuff of legend that helped usher in the Derrick Rose era.

Hinrich was never selected to be an All-Star in his career but early on is when he was really used as a scorer. From 2004 through 2010 with the Bulls, Hinrich averaged 13.0 PPG on 41.8% shooting overall and 38.0% from three. His best scoring season came in 2007 when he averaged 16.6 PPG on 44.8% shooting. For his career, Hinrich shot37.5% from three and 41.1% overall. He wasn’t exactly the poster child for efficiency, but he got the job done in spite of it. Hinrich would spend some seasons with the Hawks, Wizards, and Bulls again before retiring in 2016.

7. Mo Williams – 10,759 Points

Mo Williams is best known for his days alongside LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2000s. Williams was very consistent and well-rounded on offense and could shoot the three-ball, score in other ways, and distribute as a passer. He was an extremely talented combo guard who could force his way to the free-throw line at will. Teammates will tell you that he was a great guy to have in the locker room and provided a needed veteran leader for younger players.

During his first few seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, Williams was a consistent 12.0 to 13.0 PPG scorer before ballooning up to 17.0 PPG in his 4th season. He went back-to-back seasons, averaging over 17.0 PPG with the Bucks before moving on to the Cavaliers where the same play continued. In 2009, Williams was selected as an All-Star for the only time in his career with averages of 17.8 PPG on 43.6% shooting from deep. The consistent double-digit scoring lasted for the remainder of his career as he continued to be a consistently good three-point shooter and accurate from the foul line.

6. Kyle Korver – 11,953 Points

Kyle Korver is one of the best 3-point shooters in NBA history and finds himself as the No. 6 scorer from the 2003 NBA draft because of it. He could honestly shoot from anywhere on the floor and as his career went on, he learned to drive to the basket as defenders cheated toward the perimeter. He wasn’t prone to turnovers, and when he got to the foul line, he was nearly automatic. If he had expanded his game beyond the three-point line even more and drawn some fouls, his point total could be much higher.

Korver’s best offensive performances came early on in his career with the Philadelphia 76ers. He shot incredibly well from the floor and averaged 10.4 PPG in his 4 and a half seasons with Philadelphia. His career-high came in 2007 when he averaged 14.4 PPG and led the NBA in free throw percentage. Korver would be named an All-Star for the only time in 2015 with the Hawks and led the NBA in 3-point percentage 4 times throughout his career. Korver retired in 2020 after one season with the Bucks and was never able to be a part of a championship team.

5. David West – 14,034 Points

David West should probably be considered one of the most underrated players of the last 20 years. He was a bulky and lengthy power forward who made his career off of knocking down shots from the mid-range. He was also adept at taking defenders to the basket with his back to them and powering in for a dunk or layup. He was a great face-up offensive player, but could still knock down hooks and turnaround jumpers in the post.

David West began his career alongside Chris Paul with the New Orleans Hornets. With the Hornets, West became an All-Star in back-to-back seasons in 2008 and 2009. In each of those seasons, West averaged at least 20.5 PPG on 47.0% shooting. He remained a consistent scorer for most of his career and averaged at least 17.0 PPG in 7 seasons of his 15-year career. West was a mainstay at the power forward position for most of his career, and the fans in New Orleans and Indiana will never forget him.

4. Chris Bosh – 17,189 Points

Chris Bosh was one of the most athletically gifted post-players of his time. He could score from anywhere on the court and get to the foul line often with his crafty moves down low. Early on in his career with the Raptors, Bosh was more of an inside scorer who could step out and knock down medium-range shots at a decent rate. Later on in his career, he took the term stretch forward to an entirely new level and became much more of a perimeter player than years prior.

Bosh became a purer scorer in the NBA almost immediately. By his 3rd season, Bosh was averaging 22.0 PPG on 50.5% shooting. He was named an All-Star that season and the next 11 seasons in a row. From 2006 through 2016, Bosh averaged 20.3 PPG during his time with the Raptors and Miami Heat. While with the Heat, Bosh helped the team to 4 NBA Finals and 2 championships alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

3. Dwyane Wade – 23,165 Points

One of the greatest shooting guards in the history of the NBA, Dwyane Wade, comes in as the No. 3 scorer from the 2003 NBA draft class. Wade was a joy to watch on the court with his incredible speed and flair for the dramatic. He was a blur on the court with or without the ball and could score at will from anywhere he wanted to. He was at his best on the open floor but also had his way with smaller defenders in the paint. Wade brought the city of Miami their best years in history and we are all grateful to have been along for the ride.

Wade became an All-Star by his 2nd season with the Miami Heat, averaging 24.1 PPG in 2005. For 11 seasons from 2005 through 2015, Wade averaged 24.8 PPG on 49.2% shooting. He had his career-high in 2009 when he averaged 30.2 PPG and won the scoring title. Wade led the Heat to an NBA championship in 2006 and won Finals MVP to go with it. He also helped them win 2 more NBA championships in 2012 and 2013.

2. Carmelo Anthony – 28,289 Points

Carmelo Anthony could and should be considered the best pure scorer from the 2003 NBA Draft class. At his best, almost nobody was better at finding and creating their own shot than Carmelo. He could knock down shots from all three levels and had no issues getting by his man in isolation sets. He had great instincts on the floor and got off his jumper with a quick and smooth release. With the size of a forward and the skills of a guard, Carmelo was one of the toughest assignments in basketball in his prime.

Carmelo Anthony was a 20.0 PPG scorer for the Denver Nuggets from the moment he stepped on the court in his rookie season. He averaged at least 20.0 PPG every season of his career through 2017. Over that time, Anthony averaged 24.8 PPG on 45.2% shooting. He won a scoring title in 2013 with the Knicks when he averaged 28.2 PPG on 44.9% shooting. Over his career, Anthony was a 10-time All-Star and 6-time All-NBA Team selection. He currently ranks 9th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

1. LeBron James – 37,093 Points

Known much more as a passer and playmaker first, LeBron James is far and away the best scorer from the 2003 NBA Draft class. He is currently on the cusp of breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record heading into his 20th season of NBA service. LeBron has accumulated his points by being consistent and efficient in his scoring. He has attacked the basket for the last 20 years like a man on a mission and finished at the rim emphatically with a 73.7% rate at the rim for his career.

James has been the definition of consistent for the majority of his career. He has averaged at least 25.0 PPG every year since 2005 and in 2008, won his first and only scoring title by averaging 30.0 PPG. His career-high came in his 3rd season when he averaged 31.4 PPG on 48.0% shooting. As much as LeBron likes to attack the basket, he can still pull up and shoot from anywhere he wants and usually hits at the most clutch times in his career. Over his career, James has won 4 championships, and 4 Finals MVPs, and has been named an All-Star 18 times. 

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