Scoring is the most attractive and most important aspect of the NBA game. Seeing the elite offensive players dominate a game is the most incredible thing to witness in professional basketball, and that is why we had selected the greatest scorers in the game right now, based on this season’s PPG average. Most of the players included posted at least 25 PPG, and while that is impressive for a single season, doing it more than a handful of times over a career is even more incredible.
Only 10 players in NBA history have managed to average at least 25 points per game 10 times in their careers, which forms a very small list of elite-level offensive players that get buckets automatically. Most of these names will be recognized by the masses because they are iconic superstars with legendary resumes as elite scorers. However, some renowned players will miss the list, including the likes of 3-time scoring champion James Harden, 7-time scoring champion Wilt Chamberlain, and 2-time scoring champion Stephen Curry.
Posting at least 25 PPG in a single season is a testament to a player’s greatness as an offensive player who can handle the mental and physical burden of carrying an offense. No matter how a player averages 25 PPG, whether it involves scoring inside or outside, doing it 10 times over a career is simply incredible and hard to achieve. No surprise the 10 players mentioned are all Hall of Famers and are renowned offensive players. The fact that James Harden, Wilt Chamberlain, and Stephen Curry could not achieve this in their own Hall of Fame careers is a testament to the list we will talk about.
Without further ado, here are the only 10 players in NBA history to have averaged at least 25 PPG in their careers at least ten times as they remain in elite status as the greatest offensive players ever on paper.
10. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 10 Seasons
Career Stats: 24.6 PPG, 55.9% FG, 5.6% 3-PT FG, 72.1% FT
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar kicks off the list as the superstar center had 10 seasons, posting at least 25 PPG. Utilizing his iconic sky hook shot that was completely unblockable, Kareem was able to last two decades in the NBA and was an offensive force year after year. Averaging 24.6 PPG over his career on 55.9% shooting from the field was a testament to the legend’s ability to get buckets.
Kareem’s highest-scoring season came in the 1971-72 season when Kareem was in his third season, posting 34.8 PPG on 57.4% shooting. The center led the NBA in scoring and was simply the greatest scorer since Wilt Chamberlain in his prime. The next-highest scoring season came in 1971, in Kareem’s second championship season, when he averaged 31.7 PPG on 57.7% shooting and once again won the scoring title.
His third-highest scoring season came in the 1972-73 season when he posted 30.2 PPG on 55.4% shooting from the field. Kareem’s scoring over the first few seasons of his career set the mark for what would come, as the big man retired as the all-time greatest scorer before getting passed by LeBron James in the 2022-23 season. No doubt, in terms of having the most unstoppable shot ever, Kareem was one of a kind.
9. Dominique Wilkins – 10 Seasons
Career Stats: 24.8 PPG, 46.1% FG, 31.9% 3-PT FG, 81.1% FT
Dominique Wilkins was a walking bucket from the moment he stepped into the league until the minute he left it. Wilkins had a career average of 24.8 PPG, with his best seasons coming in the 1987-88 season, where he averaged 30.7 PPG, and in the 1985-86 season, when he averaged 30.3 PPG to win his first and only scoring title.
His third-highest scoring season came in the 1992-93 season when he dropped 29.9 PPG on 46.8% shooting from the field. Dominique Wilkins finished his career as a nine-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA Team performer and also won a scoring title. Wilkins is truly one of the greatest to have ever done it offensively because he might be the game’s greatest dunker. The only knock on Wilkins was that he never won an NBA title, which should never take away from the superstar forward’s greatness as an offensive talent.
Wilkins accomplished his offense without the presence of a three-point shot and the astronomical foul shots players tend to earn these days. People tend to ignore Dominique Wilkins when talking about the greatest scorers ever, but the Hall of Famer should be respected because he has 10 seasons of posting at least 25 PPG and had a career average of a shade under 25 PPG.
8. Shaquille O’Neal – 10 Seasons
Career Stats: 23.7 PPG, 58.2% FG, 4.5% 3-PT FG, 52.7% FT
Shaquille O’Neal was a dominant scorer for obvious reasons, the first being the most physically dominant player since Wilt Chamberlain destroyed defenses in the 1960s and 1970s. Shaq was far too big and strong for any player that defended him, and the 7’1”, 325-lb superstar had no answer in the paint. Remember, this is the same player that won three straight championships and Finals MVPs with the Los Angeles Lakers.
O’Neal had zero presence as a shooter, making one three-pointer in his career over 22 attempts. The big man was also a horrific free-throw shooter, going 52.7% which ranks 5th worst all-time. Despite these two facts, O’Neal was a dominant offensive player as soon as he entered the league. Shaq won two scoring titles and had 10 seasons of posting at least 25 PPG, a testament to his dominance.
O’Neal’s best scoring season came in the 1999-2000 season when he posted 29.9 PPG, followed by the 1993-94 season in which he posted 29.3 PPG. His third-highest camping came in the 1994-95 season when he won the scoring title by averaging 29.3 PPG. Utilizing putback dunks, alley-oops, and an efficient hook shot, Shaq could not be stopped inside and is one of the game’s greatest offensive players.
7. Allen Iverson – 10 Seasons
Career Stats: 26.7 PPG, 42.5% FG, 31.3% 3-PT FG, 78.0% FT
Allen Iverson was a four-time scoring champion despite being 6’0” and 165 lbs. Despite being of a razor-thin build, Iverson was incredibly quick and could get any shot off he wanted in his prime. His scoring was the reason the Philadelphia 76ers made the NBA Finals in the 2000-01 season, the same year in which the guard won the MVP award.
Iverson was an elite shooter on the move, using his handles to create space and drain mid-range shots. Even when defended tightly, The Answer was very capable of attacking the rim and finishing at the rim, often with And-1s. Iverson was a master at crafting his own offense, a reason why he had tremendous success when surrounded by defenders. Iverson was literally an entire offense on his own.
The Answer’s best scoring season came in the 2005-06 season when he posted 33.0 PPG, although he lost the scoring title to Kobe Bryant. His next-best seasons came when Iverson posted 31.4 PPG, 31.1 PPG, and 30.7 PPG, which all resulted in scoring titles. Iverson’s other season in which he won a scoring title came in the 1998-99 season when Iverson was only in his third season by posting 26.8 PPG.
6. Jerry West – 11 Seasons
Career Stats: 27.0 PPG, 47.4% FG, 81.4% FT
Jerry West, the NBA’s logo, managed to be the second player to ever win a scoring title and assist title after Oscar Robertson. West is an all-time great player and Lakers legend who is easily a top-4 shooting guard in NBA history. After Oscar stuffed the stat sheets for so long, no one thought that another guard would ever repeat that scoring and passing achievement again. As great of a passer as West was, he was known for his individual offense.
Jerry West had four seasons posting at least 30 PPG in a single campaign and 11 seasons posting at least 25 PPG. In fact, West only averaged under 25 PPG three times over his 14-year career. West had his best campaign in the 1965-66 season by dropping 31.3 PPG, followed by the 1971-72 season when he posted 31.2 PPG to win the scoring title. His other seasons posting at least 30 PPG came in 1964-65 when he posted 31.0 PPG, and 1961-62 by averaging 30.8 PPG.
West could not be defended one on one, and if he had breathing room to get off a jumper, it was a done deal that the ball was swishing through the net. The NBA’s logo had 3 seasons averaging over 31 PPG and only averaged under 20 PPG once in his career (his rookie season averaging 17.6 PPG). Jerry was simply a once-in-a-lifetime star, and his shooting numbers are clearly evidence of that.
5. Michael Jordan – 12 Seasons
Career Stats: 30.1 PPG, 49.7% FG, 32.7% 3-PT FG, 83.5% FT
Unsurprisingly, Michael Jordan is included on the list as the most talented scorer in NBA history. MJ is the greatest scorer of all time because he did it at a level that will never be surpassed, even by other elite scorers that came before him or after him. His 30.1 career PPG average ranks 1st all-time, even ahead of Wilt Chamberlain, who once averaged 50.4 PPG for a season. As dominant as Wilt was as a big man, he could not surpass what Jordan did as a scorer.
Michael was simply dominant, winning 10 scoring titles as a member of the Bulls. The shooting guard averaged 37.1 PPG, 35.0 PPG, 33.6 PPG, 32.6 PPG, 32.5 PPG, 31.5 PPG, 30.4 PPG, and 30.1 PPG to win 8 out of his 10 scoring titles, and he has four more seasons averaging over 26 PPG. Jordan did it from mid-range, at the rim, and from the stripe better than anyone else. Jordan’s scoring ability is the reason he is widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, and it isn’t very close, considering he dominated in an era with very stiff competition.
The GOAT was simply a rare talent because scoring the ball came so easy for him, no matter his opponent. It is very hard to imagine any player ever usurping what Michael did on the court on the offensive end, and his career PPG average could stand forever, just like Wilt Chamberlain’s season 50.4 PPG average. As dominant as MJ was, his 12 seasons posting at least 25 PPG ranks only tied for 3rd all-time behind two other stars.
4. Karl Malone – 12 Seasons
Career Stats: 25.0 PPG, 51.6% FG, 27.4% 3-PT FG, 74.2% FT
Karl Malone is another player with 12 seasons posting at least 25 PPG. The superstar power forward had the benefit of playing with the all-time assist leader in, John Stockton, who fed him countless good looks. Even if Malone received perfect pinpoint passes, he had to make the shots to make the assists count. Guess what? He did it often.
Karl was an automatic mid-range scorer with a beautiful jump shot, and he could also finish at the rim with the pick-n-roll. Opposing defenses in the NBA did not know how to stop Malone and Stockton in the pick-n-roll because it was simply one of the most devastating plays we have seen. Malone never slowed down, posting under 20 PPG twice in his 19-year career which is truly incredible.
Malone never won a single-scoring title but had a sensation offensive track record. The power forward’s best offensive season came in 1989-90 when he averaged 31.0 PPG on 56.2% FG. The next two highest offensive seasons came in 1988-89 (29.1 PPG) and 1990-91 (29.0 PPG). Malone had 12 seasons averaging at least 25 PPG, meaning only seven seasons were under that number. After Tim Duncan, Karl Malone has the case for being the second-greatest power forward ever.
3. Kobe Bryant – 12 Seasons
Career Stats: 25.0 PPG, 44.7% FG, 32.9% 3-PT FG, 83.7% FT
Kobe Bryant is regarded as the second-greatest scoring talent behind Michael Jordan. The Black Mamba was a dominant offensive player because he had every move and counter-move in the book and needed to be double-teamed to prevent him from scoring every time. In his early years, Bryant had elite athleticism to finish at the rim over helpless defenders and also rise for easy jumpers.
As he aged and changed his number from 8 to 24, Bryant developed a perfect post-game and had an unstoppable fadeaway from the block. The shooting guard once again could not be defended because he could take defenders inside and outside and killed the opposition one-on-one time and time again. Outside of Michael Jordan, Bryant had the greatest one-on-one game ever.
As expected, Kobe would win two scoring titles in his highest-scoring seasons in 2005-06 (35.4 PPG) and 2006-07 (31.6 PPG). Bryant also posted 30.0 PPG in the 2002-03 season with the Los Angeles Lakers and had 12 seasons posting at least 25 PPG. The shooting guard was simply an incredible scorer, and if not for the first season of his career, in which he posted only 7.9 PPG in limited time, his career average would have been even higher.
2. Kevin Durant – 14 Seasons
Career Stats: 27.3 PPG, 49.9% FG, 38.5% 3-PT FG, 88.6% FT
Coming into the NBA as the No. 2 overall pick, Kevin Durant should have gone No. 1 ahead of Greg Oden. The lengthy forward was a superstar with the University of Texas, and nobody doubted his ability to bring his unstoppable scoring power into the league. In his rookie season with the Seattle SuperSonics, Durant averaged 20.3 PPG while winning Rookie of the Year. Of course, Durant would go on to have eight more seasons at an elite level while making seven All-Star Teams.
Durant earned four scoring titles with the Thunder, leading the league in scoring with averages of 32.0 PPG, 30.1 PPG, 28.0 PPG, and 27.7 PPG. The superstar forward only averaged under 25 PPG once with the SuperSonics/Thunder, and that happened in his rookie year. Quite frankly, Durant is one of the greatest scorers we have ever seen because he literally has no weakness. He stands 6’10” with an elite jumper, making him unguardable by any defender in history.
Other than his rookie season (20.3 PPG), Durant has never averaged under 25 PPG in his 15 played seasons in the league. That is an unbelievable fact to consider that the forward is 34 years old and has a few more years to keep building his resume. Durant’s highest-scoring seasons were 32.0 PPG, 30.1 PPG, 29.9 PPG, 29.1 PPG, 28.2 PPG, 28.1 PPG, 28.0 PPG, and 27.7 PPG, which is simply incredible stuff from the game’s current most talented scorer.
1. LeBron James – 19 Seasons
Career Stats: 27.2 PPG, 50.5% FG, 34.5% 3-PT FG, 73.5% FT
Despite being regarded as the greatest playmaker at his position, James is by far the greatest all-around scorer for a small forward that we have ever seen and the league’s all-time leading scorer. The King has countless dominant offensive seasons to choose from, although his 2006 season was the most dominant in Cavaliers history in terms of offense when he dropped 31.4 PPG. James shot 48.0% from the field that season, guiding the Cavaliers to a 50-32 record in the Eastern Conference and making it to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
Otherwise, James holds a career average of 27.2 PPG over 20 seasons in the NBA. James is a locomotive when he attacks the rim, and from the first minute he stepped on an NBA floor, there wasn’t a single player alive who could stop him. Quite frankly, no one in history stood a chance against James in that respect, and that is why he has an incredible scoring record as a member of the Cavaliers, Heat, and Lakers.
James has averaged under 25 PPG once in his career, and that came in his rookie campaign. Is there any surprise that The King ended up becoming the all-time leading scorer? By staying healthy for so long and having the greatest build of a basketball player, James could score anytime he wanted to in his prime and added a far more efficient jumper as he aged. With a whopping 19 seasons posting at least 25 PPG, The King is a one-of-a-kind player, and this record will likely never be broken.
