Some people actually believe that they could score a single point in the NBA. Spoiler alert: They couldn’t. We’re talking about the greatest athletes on earth locking up to try and prevent you from scoring, and there’s just no way on earth you could get past them.
The thing is that some players make it look so easy that we actually believe that scoring in the NBA – especially with the modern rules – isn’t nearly half as difficult as it is. However, they make it look easy because they’re just elite superhumans like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant.
And even among those legendary players, there is a handful of them who have stepped up from the rest of the pack, scoring 50+ points multiple times. Today, we’re going to honor them by comparing how many 50+ points did Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant had.
Kevin Durant – 6
50+ Point Games: 50, 50, 51, 51, 52, 54
Kevin Durant is the ultimate cheat code. We’re talking about an unprecedented combination of handles, skills, shooting, and size. His length allows him to shoot over every single defender on earth and he’s got a strong case for having the smoothest jump shot in NBA history.
That’s why it’s kind of surprising to see that he’s “only” recorded 6 50+ games throughout his career. It could be because he’s spent his entire career with other ball-dominant scorers like Russell Westbrook or Stephen Curry, and that’s not likely to change now that he’s with Kyrie Irving.
LeBron James – 13
50+ Point Games: 50, 51, 51, 51, 51, 51, 51, 52, 52, 55, 56, 57, 61
It’s funny how people don’t talk about LeBron James as a scorer. We’re talking about a guy who’s averaged 27.0 points per game throughout a 17-year span. If that’s not a scorer, then I truly don’t know what it is. Then again, I get that people don’t see him like that because of all the other things he does.
LeBron James isn’t the most prolific shooter in the league but he’s never needed to rely on his perimeter offense. He’s a bulldozer coming at you at full steam down the lane and there’s just no way of stopping him once he takes off. He’s an elite finisher and an athletic freak.
Kobe Bryant – 26
50+ Point Game: 50, 50, 50, 50, 50, 50, 50, 51, 51, 51, 51, 52, 52, 52, 53, 53, 53, 55, 56, 58, 60, 60, 61, 62, 65, 81
As you may know by now, Kobe Bryant has the highest career-high out of all of the players on this list. Kobe drew a lot of criticism earlier on his career for how many shots he took but his confidence and efficiency ended up making him one of the most legendary scorers in the history of the game.
Once Kobe got going, there was no stopping him. You better quit or you’ll get light up. Bryant knew how to get to his spots better than anyone else in NBA history. He had a feel for knocking down huge, heavily-contested shots over and over and over.
Michael Jordan – 39
50+ Point Games: 50, 50, 50, 50, 50, 50, 50, 50, 51, 51, 51, 52, 52, 52, 52, 52, 52, 52, 53, 53, 53, 54, 54, 54, 55, 55, 55, 55, 56, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61, 61, 63, 64, 69
Unsurprisingly, Michael Jordan scored more 50+ point games than Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant. Surprisingly, tho, he did it by knocking down 0.5 of the 1.7 three-pointers per game he took. That’s just how much of a dominant scorer and offensive juggernaut Michael Jordan was.
Up to this day, Michael Jordan still holds the record for the highest points-per-game average in NBA history with 30.1, a record that’s unlikely to ever go down, even in today’s high-octane, three-point shooting offense. Say what you say, but Michael Jordan was the best scorer of all time.
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