Over the past year, you have seen us break down the top scorers in NBA history in every way imaginable. It held special meaning this season as LeBron James chased down and ultimately shattered the NBA’s all-time scoring record. We celebrated Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for his achievements and the record he held for 36 years. We also celebrated LeBron for his 20 years of excellence in making NBA history. Today, we would like to take a different approach to honor the greatest scorers in league history.
Instead of the traditional countdown of the NBA’s top scorers or even breaking down how they did it with three-point attempts or free throws, we decided to break down the game’s best scorers by position. There are the pure point guards that did everything well but stuck around long enough to climb the scoring ranks. There are the shooting guards that became some of the greatest players to ever play the game. Then, there are the forwards and big men who dominated the paint for years and hold some of the highest distinctions there are in the NBA.
These are the players with the most points by position in NBA history.
Point Guards – Oscar Robertson – 26,710 Points
The Most Career Points By Point Guards
1. Oscar Robertson – 26,710 Points
2. Jerry West – 25,192 Points
3. Russell Westbrook – 24,457 Points
The Point Guard position has many all-time greats representing their all-time leading scorers. The point guard with the most career points is the player who was originally known as Mr. Triple-Double. Oscar Robertson was a true do-it-all point guard who scored at will during his earlier days with the Cincinnati Royals. In six of his first seven seasons, Robertson averaged at least 30.0 PPG in a minimum of 71 games played. He won his only scoring title in 1968 with 29.2 PPG and his only NBA championship in 1971 with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The next most prolific point guard scorer was Jerry West. Now, West played 10 of his 14 seasons at the point guard position but certainly could play shooting guard with zero issues. West led the Lakers to nine appearances in the NBA Finals in his career with a career scoring average of 27.0 PPG. West ranks 23rd all-time in career points scored and recorded five seasons with 2,000 points or more.
The final point guard who rounds out the top three scoring point guards ever is Russell Westbrook. He sits 27th all-time in scoring, with two scoring titles and over 24,000 career points. Westbrook recorded four seasons of 25.0 PPG or better, which includes his 2017 MVP season, in which he averaged 31.6 PPG and a triple-double for the entire season. Despite his scoring output at his peak, Westbrook only recorded two seasons with at least 2,000 points and led the NBA in triple-doubles six times.
Shooting Guards – Kobe Bryant – 33,643 Points
The Most Career Points By Shooting Guards
1. Kobe Bryant – 33,643 Points
2. Michael Jordan – 32,292 Points
3. Vince Carter – 25,728 Points
With over 33,640 career points, Kobe Bryant is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer for shooting guards and the fourth-highest scorer in NBA history. Bryant represented the Los Angeles Lakers at the highest level for 20 years while delivering five NBA championships, two Finals MVP awards, and an MVP award. Bryant had three seasons in his career in which he averaged at least 30.0 PPG and won back-to-back scoring titles in 2006 and 2007. Of his 20 seasons in the NBA, Bryant went for at least 2,000 points eight times and led the NBA in total scoring four times.
Sitting just 1,351 points behind Bryant is the player widely regarded as the greatest in NBA history, Michael Jordan. The six-time NBA champion and Finals MVP holds the highest career scoring average with 30.1 PPG in the regular season and the highest career scoring average in the playoffs with 33.4 PPG. He also owns the NBA record for most scoring titles with 10 and recorded eight seasons in which he averaged at least 30.0 PPG. In the 1990s, Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA championships by way of two three-peats over the Lakers, Trail Blazers, Suns, SuperSonics, and Jazz.
The final member of the top three shooting guard scorers in NBA history may be a surprise initially, but it won’t be for long. Vince Carter played 22 seasons in the NBA and averaged 16.7 PPG for his career. At his peak, he was known as an explosive scorer with freak athleticism who could average anywhere from 25.0 to 27.0 PPG. Carter ranks 20th in NBA history with 25,728 points in his career and ranks seventh in NBA history with 2,290 three-pointers made as well.
Small Forwards – LeBron James – 38,652 Points
The Most Career Points By Small Forwards
1. LeBron James – 38,652 Points
2. Carmelo Anthony – 28,289 Points
3. Kevin Durant – 26,892 Points
The small forward position has begun to make its presence known in a big way on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, with three players in the top 15. Of course, LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career scoring record in 2022-23 and continues to build on his lead. In 20 seasons, James has won just one NBA scoring title but has always remained among the best scorers in the game. He has not averaged less than 25.0 PPG since his second season in 2004-05 and is still better than 99.9% of the NBA, even at 38 years old.
Congratulations to Carmelo Anthony on his retirement from the game of basketball that he announced this past week. One of Anthony’s most tremendous accomplishments is being ninth in NBA history with 28,289 career points. As a scorer, there were not many better, as he averaged 21.0 PPG as a rookie with the Nuggets and would not average below 20.0 PPG for another 14 years. Anthony is one of the most talented three-level threats in NBA history who captured one scoring title and two 2,000-point seasons.
The final member of our top scoring small forwards in NBA history sits 13th overall in NBA history right now, with plenty of time to keep moving up. Kevin Durant sits just 517 points from Moses Malone for a spot in the top 10 and is coming off perhaps his most impressive season as a scorer. Durant averaged 29.1 PPG in 2022-23, shooting 56.0% from the field overall, 40.4% from three, and 91.9% from the foul line. Durant’s four scoring titles are the most by a small forward in NBA history, and he could be moving past Carmelo over the next three seasons.
Power Forwards – Karl Malone – 36,928 Points
The Most Career Points By Power Forwards
1. Karl Malone – 36,928 Points
2. Dirk Nowitzki – 31,560 Points
3. Elvin Hayes – 27,313 Points
The power forward position is another one that has a strong showing when it comes to the best scorers in NBA history, with three players in the top 11. Of course, Karl Malone leads the position with over 36,900 points and is third overall in NBA history. Malone averaged 25.0 PPG for his career, and from 1987 thru 2003, he averaged at least 20.0 PPG every season. Malone, a beneficiary of many assists from John Stockton, also had 12 seasons with at least 25.0 PPG out of the 19 seasons that his career lasted.
Dirk Nowitzki revolutionized the power forward position and how they were supposed to score. As one of the first 7-footers to shoot the ball at a consistent rate from three, Nowitzki was much more than just that. He was also deadly in the mid-range with his signature fadeaway and could put the ball on the floor and score in numerous ways. Nowitzki was never a scoring champion, but he was an NBA champion, MVP, and Finals MVP in his career that averaged 20.7 PPG over the course of 21 seasons.
The final power forward to make our list has watched his name continue to slip outside the top for some time now. Elvin Hayes was a deadly scorer, especially in the paint, during his career with the Rockets and Bullets. Hayes won his first and only scoring title as a rookie in 1969 and averaged 21.0 PPG over the course of a career that lasted 16 seasons. Hayes currently sits 11th in NBA history with 27,313 points but is close to falling down a bit further in the coming years.
Centers – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 38,387 Points
The Most Career Points By Centers
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 38,387 Points
2. Wilt Chamberlain – 31,419 Points
3. Shaquille O’Neal – 28,596 Points
It should come as no surprise that the three top-scoring centers in NBA history are also three of the most dominant players in the game’s history. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the NBA scoring record for 36 years before LeBron James broke it in 2022-23. Kareem’s accomplishments were super impressive when broken down season by season. In his earlier days with the Bucks, Kareem won back-to-back scoring titles in 1971 and 1972, as well as four different 30.0 PPG or better seasons. With the Lakers, he was able to capture five NBA championships while averaging 22.1 PPG over 14 seasons.
Wilt Chamberlain’s scoring feats are as impressive as any other player in NBA history. He still holds the NBA record for the most points in a single game with 100 and the highest single-season scoring average with 50.4 PPG. Chamberlain is second to Michael Jordan with seven career scoring titles which came in seven consecutive seasons to begin his career. He recorded at least 20.0 PPG in 12 out of 14 seasons in the NBA and at least 30.0 PPG seven times.
The final center to round out the top three scorers at the position in NBA history is arguably the most dominant player ever at his peak. Shaquille O’Neal, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, was an unstoppable force in the NBA and a winner of four NBA championships, including a three-peat with the Lakers from 2000 thru 2002. O’Neal is a two-time scoring champion who averaged 23.7 PPG over the course of 19 seasons in the NBA. O’Neal was an MVP once and a Finals MVP three times, averaging 28.6 PPG from 2000 thru 2002 when he earned those accomplishments.
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