Every NBA Team’s Youngest Player To Score 50 Points In A Game

Believe it or not, there was a time when a 50-point game was seen as an incredible and rare feat. In many ways it still is but with scoring being at an all-time high in 2023-24, it is becoming more and more common for players to erupt and drop 50 points in a single game. Contrary to our list of every team’s oldest player to score 40 points in a game, the players below are ranked based on how young they were when they went off for a memorable 50-point performance in every NBA team’s history. 

While many of these performances have come in the last 25 seasons, some records still stand from over 40 years ago. Let’s take a look at the NBA youngsters who made history with their unforgettable 50-point games.

1. Milwaukee Bucks – Brandon Jennings – 55 Points (20 Years, 52 Days Old)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNScx9GlZI4

Back in 2009, Brandon Jennings became the youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points in a game. Jennings exploded for 55 points in just his seventh career NBA game against the Golden State Warriors. Jennis scored his 55 points in a four-point victory over Golden State, shooting a ridiculous 21-34 from the field overall which included 7-8 shooting from three-point range. Jennings would finish his rookie season third in Rookie of the Year voting behind winner Tyreke Evans and runner-up Stephen Curry.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers – LeBron James – 56 Points (20 Years, 80 Days Old)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKmRZVfBzvI

In just his second season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James made history as the youngest player to score 50 points in a game until it was broken four years later by Jennings. James was just two and a half months past his 20th birthday when he went for 56 points in a 105-98 loss to the Toronto Raptors on the road. James would go for 56 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists on 18-36 shooting overall and 6-12 from three in the loss thanks to Toronto’s Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall with 30 and 24 points, respectively.

3. Phoenix Suns – Devin Booker – 70 Points (20 Years, 145 Days Old)

Devin Booker’s 70-point game back in 2017 for the Phoenix Suns is not only the 12th highest-scoring game in NBA history but he is also the third-youngest player to score over 50 points in a game ever. Booker accomplished this feat in a 130-120 loss to the Boston Celtics during the 2016-17 season. Booker was incredible despite the loss, playing 45 of 48 minutes and shooting 21-40 overall, 4-11 from three, and 24-26 from the foul line.

4. Houston Rockets – Kevin Porter Jr. – 50 Points (20 Years, 360 Days Old)

Kevin Porter Jr. joined Jennings, James, and Booker as the only 20-year-olds in NBA history to score a 50-point game in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2020-21 season. Porter scored his 50 points in a 143-136 regulation win over Milwaukee in front of the home crowd in Houston. Porter would add 11 assists to his stat line for the night while shooting 16-26 overall, 9-15 from three-point range, and 9-11 from the foul line. It was the first 50-point game for the Rockets by a player not named James Harden since Hakeem Olajuwon in the 1990s.

5. Atlanta Hawks – Trae Young – 50 Points (21 Years, 154 Days Old)

On February 20, 2020, Trae Young became the youngest player to score 50 points in a game for the Atlanta Hawks. The previous record had been held by John Drew since 1978 and has since been surpassed twice by Young both in 2020 and 2022. On this particular night, Young led the Hawks to a 129-124 win over the Miami Heat at home with 50 points on 12-25 shooting overall, 8-15 from three, and 18-19 from the foul line. He would also add 8 assists in the win as the only player in Atlanta’s lineup to exceed 20 points.

6. Golden State Warriors – Rick Barry – 57 Points (21 Years, 261 Days Old)

Rick Barry’s fingerprints are all over the history books for the Golden State Warriors as one of their greatest players in franchise history. Barry owns the seven youngest 50-point performances in Warriors history including this 57-point outburst at just 21 years old in 1965. In a four-point loss to the Knicks, Barry scored 57 points on 18-29 shooting and 21-22 from the foul line while also adding 15 rebounds on the night. Unfortunately, 30-point games from New York’s Walt Bellamy and Dick Barnett spoiled his evening.

7. Philadelphia 76ers – Allen Iverson – 50 Points (21 Years, 309 Days Old)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwN5-BHAan0

Allen Iverson being at the top of this list should come as no surprise for NBA fans of the 1990s and 2000s. Iverson was a scoring machine who had his first 50-point game as a rookie against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1996-97. On this April night in 1997, Iverson erupted for 50 points on 17-32 shooting from the field and 5-9 from three-point land. Even with Iverson’s elite performance, the 76ers dropped this contest 125-118 thanks to three Cleveland starters going off for over 20 points or more (Terrell Brandon, Chris Mills, and Bob Sura).

8. Dallas Mavericks – Jamal Mashburn – 50 Points (21 Years, 348 Days)

Just a few weeks shy of his 22nd birthday, Jamal Mashburn entered the history books for the Dallas Mavericks. On November 12, 1994, Mashburn led Dallas to a four-point win over the Michael Jordan-less Chicago Bulls with 50 points and 10 rebounds on 19-31 shooting from the floor overall, 3-3 from three, and 9-13 from the foul line. Mashburn’s teammate Jim Jackson also contributed 38 points, meaning the duo combined for 88 of Dallas’ 124 points in the victory.

9. Washington Wizards – Phil Chenier – 53 Points (22 Years, 37 Days Old)

Since 1972, Phil Chenier has held the record for the youngest Bullets/Wizards player to score 50 points in a game, doing so just a month after his 22nd birthday. Chenier accomplished this feat during his second NBA season in a 115-102 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. In the contest, Chenier would shoot 22-31 from the field and 9-11 from the free throw line. Teammate Wes Unseld’s 24 rebounds were also crucial to the win that brought the Bullets’ record to 14-12 on the season.

10. Orlando Magic – Shaquille O’Neal – 53 Points (22 Years, 45 Days Old)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nZshVzj97U

Shaquille O’Neal’s younger days with the Orlando Magic were special as evidenced by this 53-point performance during his rookie 1993-94 season. In a late April blowout win over the Timberwolves, 22-year-old O’Neal would go off for 53 points, 18 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. He shot 22-31 from the floor and 9-13 from the foul line putting a stamp on his Rookie of the Year award he would claim just weeks later.

11. Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe Bryant – 51 Points (22 Years, 105 Days Old)

During the early 2000s, the Los Angeles Lakers were an unstoppable force led by the duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. While O’Neal was dominant, Bryant often went crazy with performances such as the one he had against the Warriors in December 2000. On this night, Bryant led the Lakers with 51 points in 51 minutes as the Lakers fell 125-122 in overtime. Bryant shot 18-35 from the field and 13-13 from the foul line but a lousy 2-7 from three. The Lakers would get the last laugh in the end with their second straight NBA title.

12. Minnesota Timberwolves – Karl-Anthony Towns – 56 Points (22 Years, 133 Days Old)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHXCe88smYI

There have only been six 50-point games in the history of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Karl-Anthony Towns is the only player with multiple such games. His first 50-point performance came in a 2018 matchup against the Hawks in which Towns erupted for 56 points and 15 rebounds on 19-32 shooting and 6-8 from three. Towns would score his second 50-point game four seasons later in 2022, a 60-point performance in a win over the Spurs.

13. Los Angeles Clippers – Bob McAdoo – 52 Points (22 Years, 150 Days Old)

Of the seven 50-point games in the history of the Los Angeles Clippers, Bob McAdoo owns four of them including his first during the 1973-74 season. McAdoo went for 52 points and grabbed 22 rebounds in a matchup with the Celtics, shooting 20-28 from the floor overall and 12-14 from the foul line. Unfortunately, none of McAdoo’s teammates would contribute more than 13 points in support of their star as Boston defeated the Buffalo Braves 116-109. McAdoo would go on to win his first of three straight scoring titles.

14. Memphis Grizzlies – Ja Morant – 52 Points (22 Years, 202 Days Old)

Not only is Ja Morant the youngest player in Memphis Grizzlies history to score 50 points in a game, he is the only player in franchise history to do so. Morant accomplished this feat at 22 years old in a matchup with the Spurs during the 2021-22 season. The NBA’s Most Improved player would lead his team to a win with 52 points on a hyper-efficient 22-30 shooting, going a perfect 4-4 from three and needing just 4-7 free throws. Morant’s performance is the greatest single-game performance in Grizzlies history.

15. Detroit Pistons – Saddiq Bey – 51 Points (22 Years, 342 Days Old)

In one of the most random 50-point games in NBA history, Saddiq Bey became the youngest player in Detroit Pistons history to drop 50 during the 2021-22 season. Bey, a career 14.0 points per game scorer, came out of nowhere with a 51-point game for the ages against the Orlando Magic. Bey led Detroit to a 134-120 win shooting 17-27 from the floor and a scintillating 10-14 from three-point range to aid in the win in a matchup of two teams with just 18 wins on the season at the time.

16. New Orleans Pelicans – Anthony Davis – 59 Points (22 Years, 347 Days Old)

Of the four 50-point games in Pelicans history, Anthony Davis owns three of them with Jamal Mashburn being the other. Davis’ reign as one of the greatest players in franchise history took a historic turn during a matchup with the Pistons in 2015-16. On this night, Davis was unstoppable with 59 points and 20 rebounds on 24-24 shooting from the field. Almost two years to the day in 2018, Davis would score his final 50-point game with New Orleans before being traded to the Lakers in 2019.

17. Toronto Raptors – Terrence Ross – 51 Points (22 Years, 354 Days Old)

On January 25, 2014, Terrence Ross became just the second player in Raptors history to score 50 points or more in a single game joining Vince Carter who did so 14 years prior. While the feat has been matched three times since then, Ross remains the youngest to do it in team history, going off for 51 points just 11 days shy of his 23rd birthday. In a home loss to the Clippers, Ross scored his 51 points on 16-29 shooting overall and 10-17 from three as they fell 126-119 in regulation.

18. Boston Celtics – Jayson Tatum – 53 Points (23 Years, 37 Days Old)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdaiz05_kDU

Chances are if there is a record that begins with “the youngest player to” in Celtics history, Jayson Tatum owns it. Tatum is the owner of the five youngest 50-point games in team history with his first coming at just over 23 years old during the 2020-21 season. In a 145-136 overtime win against the Timberwolves, Tatum went off for 53 points and 10 rebounds on 16-25 shooting overall, 6-10 from three, and 15-16 from the foul line.

19. Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant – 51 Points (23 Years, 143 Days Old)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weR9wgMpgvI

During the 2011-12 season, Kevin Durant broke a 39-year-old record set by Spencer Haywood in 1973 when he became the youngest 50-point scorer in Thunder history. Durant was in the midst of his third straight scoring title when he went off for 51 points in an overtime win over the Nuggets in 2012. Durant shot 19-28 from the field on this day while teammate Russell Westbrook contributed 40 points for the future Western Conference champions later that same season.

20. Sacramento Kings – Tiny Archibald – 55 Points (23 Years, 174 Days Old)

During the 1971-72 season, Nate “Tiny” Archibald became the youngest player in Sacramento Kings history to score 50 points in a game. Then known as the Cincinnati Royals, Archibald had this all-time performance in a matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers. With both teams well under .500 for the season, Archibald had a career night with 55 points and 7 assists on 20-31 shooting overall and 15-19 from the foul line to lead the Royals to victory.

21. Chicago Bulls – Michael Jordan – 50 Points (23 Years, 257 Days Old)

Like most scoring records in Chicago Bulls history, Michael Jordan tops the team’s list with a 50-point performance just a few months short of his 24th birthday. Jordan had his first career 50-point game in Madison Square Garden against the Knicks in 1986 in the Bulls’ season opener. In this memorable performance, Jordan went for 50 points on 15-31 shooting and 20-22 from the free throw line while also adding 6 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks as the Bulls prevailed 108-103.

22. Denver Nuggets – David Thompson – 73 Points (23 Years, 270 Days Old)

On the final day of the 1977-78 NBA season, Denver’s David Thompson and San Antonio’s George Gervin were locked in a heated battle for the league scoring title. Thompson wanted the honor badly and would go off on the Detroit Pistons with 73 points on 28-38 shooting from the field as well as 17-20 from the foul line. Unfortunately, Gervin would respond later that day with 63 points of his own to secure the scoring title and snatch it away from Thompson in brutal fashion.

23. Brooklyn Nets – Stephon Marbury – 50 Points (23 Years, 359 Days Old)

Less than a week away from his 24th birthday, Stephon Marbury of the New Jersey Nets entered the franchise record books forever. In a tight contest with the defending champion Lakers, Marbury was incredible with 50 points and 12 assists in a 113-110 loss. Marbury’s 50-point game came with 17-29 shooting from the field and 12-16 from the foul line but wasn’t enough to stop the duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaq who combined for 70 points to spoil Marbury’s night.

24. Portland Trail Blazers – Brandon Roy – 52 Points (24 Years, 148 Days Old)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFUcr8OoSNQ

Brandon Roy is one of the biggest what-ifs in NBA history thanks to injuries and evidence of that is his 52-point night in 2008 against the Suns. In a 124-119 home victory, Roy went for 52 points on 14-27 shooting and 19-21 from the foul line. It would be the only 50-point game in Roy’s career as his time in the NBA was cut short due to a degenerative knee disorder robbing him and us as fans of a prolonged career.

25. San Antonio Spurs – Tim Duncan – 53 Points (25 Years, 245 Days Old)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_zNuYK5ESg

In his long and illustrious NBA career, Tim Duncan had just one 50-point game. That is a pretty incredible statistic for a player who was named a five-time champion, three-time Finals MVP, and two-time MVP. Duncan’s big night would come one day after Christmas against the Dallas Mavericks in 2001. In the 126-123 overtime loss, Duncan recorded 53 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks on 19-28 shooting and a perfect 15-15 from the foul line.

26. Utah Jazz – Adrian Dantley – 50 Points (24 Years, 272 Days Old)

Adrian Dantley is one of the most underrated stars in NBA history. The two-time scoring champ played seven seasons for the Jazz from 1980-1986, going for six 50-point games during that time. Dantley’s first 50-point game for Utah came early on in 1979 in a 122-118 loss to the Lakers. Dantley reached the 50-point mark on 21-27 shooting from the floor but the 2-19 Jazz were no match for the future NBA champions.

27. New York Knicks – Willis Reed – 53 Points (25 Years, 129 Days Old)

Arguably the greatest player in New York Knicks history, Willis Reed set the record for youngest 50-point scorer in team history way back in 1967. On a November evening against the Lakers, Reed would lead his team to a blowout win, 129-113, with 53 points and 18 rebounds. Reed was extremely efficient in the win, shooting 21-29 from the floor and 11-14 from the foul line. No other player in Knicks history has scored a 50-point game during their age 25 season or younger.

28. Charlotte Hornets – Kemba Walker – 52 Points (25 Years, 255 Days Old)

In Charlotte Hornets history, there have only been two games in which a player has scored 50 points or more, and Kemba Walker owns both of them. Walker was already in his fifth season when he had his first 50-point game with Charlotte in a 124-119 double overtime thriller against the Jazz. Walker led the Hornets to the win with 52 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists on 16-33 shooting and 6-11 from three.

29. Miami Heat – LeBron James – 51 Points (26 Years, 35 Days Old)

There have only been seven 50-point games in Miami Heat history. Dwyane Wade leads that group with three such performances while LeBron James has two including the youngest such performance in team history. James was just a month over 26 years old when he had his first 50-point game with the Heat during the 2010-11 season. James’ performance came in a 104-100 win in which he scored 51 points along with 11 rebounds and 8 assists on 17-25 shooting overall and 14-17 shooting from the foul line.

30. Indiana Pacers – Jermaine O’Neal – 55 Points (26 Years, 83 Days Old)

Of the four 50-point games in Indiana Pacers history, Jermaine O’Neal holds the second-highest scoring performance with his 55-point outburst in 2005 against the Milwaukee Bucks. O’Neal reached his 55 points in just 36 minutes of play that night in a 116-99 blowout win. O’Neal would also grab 11 rebounds and record 3 blocks in the win, shooting 18-28 from the floor overall and 19-25 from the foul line. It was just the third 50-point game in Pacers history to that point and still one of the most memorable performances in franchise history.