LeBron James shattered Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record on Tuesday night, thanks to a 38-point performance at Crypto Arena. The King was sensational on Tuesday, as all the celebrities and stars were at the game to witness history. As expected, James did not let anyone down and managed to break Kareem’s record with a fadeaway jumper in the third quarter. It was only a matter of time before James broke the record because we haven’t seen a player with his type of longevity last this long.
- Was Kareem The Greatest Scorer Of All-Time?
- The All-Time Scoring Record Is A Longevity Milestone
- 1 Scoring Title Is Not Enough To Be The Greatest Scorer Ever
- LeBron James Is 5th All-Time In Career PPG, Michael Jordan Is First
- Most 30-Point Games:
- Most 40-Point Games
- Most 50-Point Games
- Most 60-Point Games
- Top 10 Most Points In 1 Game
- LeBron James Is One Of The Greatest Scorers Ever, But Not The Best
With the record firmly on his resume, LeBron believes that he has to be considered the greatest scorer of all time. The King will face a ton of backlash on his comments, but he is simply stating what he believes. Again, who can argue against career point total? But does that tell the entire story when it comes to the game’s best scorers? Is LeBron James truly the greatest scorer of all time? It is time to analyze this based on career stats, PPG rankings, scoring outputs, and pure basketball logic.
Was Kareem The Greatest Scorer Of All-Time?
The only fair way to answer the question of LeBron being the best scorer ever is to go back before Tuesday night and use LeBron’s thinking. Does that mean that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the greatest scorer of all time, as he held the all-time record before LeBron? Many claim Michael Jordan is, while others throw in the names of Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kevin Durant as well. With LeBron’s logic, Kareem was the greatest scorer ever.
Some might actually argue for Kareem because he had the single most unstoppable move in NBA history, which was the sky hook. The center was able to score an absurd amount of points by simply releasing the hook shot at its apex, and it was completely unblockable. That is why there might be some who argue for Kareem being the greatest scorer… until LeBron achieved his milestone.
To be fair, Kareem was not the best scorer ever. He held a career average of 24.6 PPG, won 2 scoring titles, and was not much of a consistent three-point or free-throw shooter (72.1%). Obviously, there are elite scorers with more scoring titles and higher scoring averages than Kareem, including Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant. LeBron’s thinking that breaking the all-time record signifies the greatest scorer ever has to be invalid.
The All-Time Scoring Record Is A Longevity Milestone
No doubt, LeBron’s all-time scoring record is simply unbelievable. Nobody could have imagined that The King could go on to break Kareem’s record and do it with the type of consistency that he has. However, the all-time scoring record has to be a longevity milestone more than signifying who the greatest scorer is. To LeBron’s credit, he has taken better care of his body than anyone else in history, and that has given him the basis to become the NBA’s leader in total points scored.
Unfortunately, Michael Jordan never truly worked hard enough to last two decades in the league, and nobody did back in the 1990s. The technology and education about health nowadays are totally different, and James has taken full advantage of that to be the best he could be. The fact that James lasted two decades in the league should never be held against him. But it should be placed in perspective: Kareem had the all-time scoring record due to longevity, and now LeBron James does as well.
LeBron is a unique athlete because he never had a major injury in his career, was generally healthy every season, and has not slowed down despite being 38 years old. Even if a player did as much as LeBron in terms of investment in his craft and taking care of diet and exercise, it is hard to imagine anyone lasting as long as The King. James is truly a blessed athlete and an all-time great scorer, but it is not enough evidence to claim him as the greatest scorer ever based on simply the all-time scoring list.
1 Scoring Title Is Not Enough To Be The Greatest Scorer Ever
LeBron James managed to win 1 scoring title in his career, and that came in 2008 when he averaged 30.0 PPG on 48.4% from the field. The 23-year-old superstar was at his apex offensively, as he was simply the most athletic and impressive physical specimen in the game. The young man was destroying defenses all year, and he easily deserved to be the scoring leader for that season. But since then, James has not managed to win another scoring title.
How could a player with only one scoring title be considered the greatest offensive player ever? There is a man known as Michael Jordan who won a whopping 10 scoring titles, as he leads all players all-time. Jordan won 10 straight scoring titles if we do not count his retirement phase in 1994 and the 17-game return in 1995 following his retirement. There was never a moment when MJ was in his prime that he wasn’t claimed as the best scorer in the league.
Even before MJ, Wilt Chamberlain won 7 scoring titles as the only player to score 100 points in a game and average 50.4 PPG in a season. The most dominant center of all time had these averages to start his career: 37.6 PPG, 38.4 PPG, 50.4 PPG, 44.8 PPG, 36.9 PPG, and 34.7 PPG. Chamberlain started his career with 7 straight scoring titles, and it is hard to argue against him being a better scorer than LeBron James in that regard.
Even Kobe Bryant (2 scoring titles), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2 scoring titles), and Kevin Durant (4 scoring titles) managed to win more scoring titles than LeBron James. These are 4 players who are widely regarded as the best scorers ever, and they all have an edge over The King. Respectfully, it is not right to crown LeBron James as the greatest scorer ever when he has only one scoring title.
LeBron James Is 5th All-Time In Career PPG, Michael Jordan Is First
Michael Jordan is the all-time leader in career PPG average with 30.1 PPG as LeBron James stands 5th with 27.2 PPG behind Michael, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, and Kevin Durant. Again, how can LeBron be ranked ahead of Jordan, Chamberlain, and Durant when he does not even have a higher career PPG average than them? To LeBron’s credit, he managed to pass Kobe and Kareem in this category, but that does not catapult The King to the top automatically.
LeBron’s 27.2 PPG is certainly impressive, especially since he is a pass-first player among everything else. Michael Jordan was a score-first player and, unsurprisingly, has the highest career PPG of all time and managed to win 10 scoring titles which ranks first among all players. If LeBron managed to usurp Michael’s 30.1 PPG career average, perhaps he would have a stronger argument for being the greatest scorer of all time.
LeBron does not have the highest career PPG average. Michael Jordan does. LeBron does not have the most scoring titles won. Michael Jordan does. James shoots under 74% from the free-throw line, and Jordan is over 83% for his career. James averaged at least 30 PPG 4 times in his career, MJ doubled it in 8 seasons. The stats are piling up, as the only advantage LeBron has is his all-time scoring record which is mainly due to longevity.
If that is not enough evidence, here are some more statistical rankings for further analysis on the greatest scorers of all time.
Most 30-Point Games:
1. Michael Jordan – 562 Games
2. LeBron James – 531 Games
3. Wilt Chamberlain – 516 Games
4. Karl Malone – 435 Games
5. Kobe Bryant – 431 Games
LeBron James will likely surpass Michael Jordan for most 30-point games next season if he does not manage to do it this season. The King is right on Jordan’s heels for most games with 30-point games, and that is a testament to his greatness and longevity. Amazingly, Jordan managed 562 30-point games despite only playing 15 seasons and going through two retirement phases, and playing under 20 games twice in his career (second season due to injury and his late return in 1995).
LeBron did manage to pass Wilt Chamberlain this season and passed Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant a while back. The King is a triple-double threat who does a lot on the court, so his chances of breaking scoring records will likely be in the 30-point range.
Most 40-Point Games
1. Wilt Chamberlain – 271 Games
2. Michael Jordan – 173 Games
3. Kobe Bryant – 122 Games
4. James Harden – 101 Games
5. Elgin Baylor – 88 Games
LeBron James ranks 8th all-time in 40-point games, behind the top-5 and elite stars such as Allen Iverson and Oscar Robertson. The King is not a volume shooter or volume scorer because that is simply not his game. Meanwhile, the likes of Wilt, MJ, Kobe, Harden, and Baylor are all high-volume scorers.
Wilt managed 271 games with at least 40 points, a number that probably won’t be beaten. Jordan came closest with 173 games, and not even Kobe Bryant could reach that level. James Harden has a chance to crack the third place, although age seems to be kicking in, and the shooting guard seems to be happy playing like John Stockton more than the player who once won 3 scoring titles.
Most 50-Point Games
1. Wilt Chamberlain – 118 Games
2. Michael Jordan – 31 Games
3. Kobe Bryant – 25 Games
4. James Harden – 23 Games
5. Elgin Baylor – 17 Games
Wilt Chamberlain managed 118 games with 50 points scored. The superstar center was dominant inside the paint and had an impossibly unstoppable presence as a scorer. He was bigger and stronger than anyone in his era, and his scoring record suggests just that. In second place is Michael Jordan, whose record does not seem too insurmountable. Kobe came close with 25 games, and Harden is only 9 games with at least 50 points from passing MJ.
LeBron James is 7th all-time in terms of the most 50-point games, behind Damian Lillard and the top-5 stars. The King managed 14 games with 50 points, which is solid but quite far from James Harden at the 4th spot. At age 38, it is likely LeBron won’t be able to crack the top-5, although anything is possible with The King.
Most 60-Point Games
1. Wilt Chamberlain – 32 Games
2. Kobe Bryant – 6 Games
3. Damian Lillard – 4 Games
4. James Harden – 4 Games
5. Michael Jordan – 4 Games
It is extremely difficult to score 60 points in an NBA game, which is why only one player in NBA history has managed to accomplish it at least 10 times. Wilt did it 32 times which is so ridiculous it is almost not worth talking about. The center is the most dominant player in NBA history, and the stats prove it.
Kobe did it 6 games, which is no surprise considering the shooting guard’s scoring potential. He had no conscious on the course and the shortest memory out of any player. Damian Lillard and James Harden are the only active players with at least 4 60-point games, tying Michael Jordan. LeBron James only had 1 60-point game, and that was his career-high game when he dropped 61 points for the Miami Heat.
Top 10 Most Points In 1 Game
1. Wilt Chamberlain – 100 Points
2. Kobe Bryant – 81 Points
3. Wilt Chamberlain – 78 Points
4. David Thompson – 73 Points
5. Wilt Chamberlain – 73 Points
6. Wilt Chamberlain – 73 Points
7. Wilt Chamberlain – 72 Points
8. Donovan Mitchell – 71 Points
9. David Robinson – 71 Points
10. Elgin Baylor – 71 Points
Obviously, Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game has stood the test of time until today. The dominant center set the record in 1962, and nobody has come close except for Kobe Bryant, going for 81 points in a spectacular showing against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. Wilt has 4 more spots on the top-10 list because no player was more physically dominant than the big man in the 1960s decade.
Other elite scorers such as David Thompson, David Robinson, and Elgin Baylor appear on this list as big men with exceptional athleticism, which includes speed, size, strength, and explosiveness. The most recent inclusion to this iconic list is Donovan Mitchell, a player who dropped 71 points against the Chicago Bulls in the 2023 NBA season. Amazingly, these guys managed to score at least 71 points as the only ones to do it.
LeBron James’ career high is 61 points, and he did it as a member of the Miami Heat in the 2013-14 NBA season. Obviously, he is 10 points off the top-10 list because he never truly had the desire to get buckets to the level of other players, whether that is due to his skill level or playing style.
LeBron James Is One Of The Greatest Scorers Ever, But Not The Best
Overall, LeBron James is certainly one of the greatest scorers ever. He has to be when he is the number one leading scorer in NBA history and has the 5th highest career average of 27.2 PPG. His mix of power drives to the rim and improved outside shooting later in his career has allowed him to enter the mix as a top-10 offensive player ever. Even with the all-time scoring record, James is still not number one because that is a longevity record more than anything else.
Michael Jordan is the greatest scorer ever, winning 10 scoring titles, holding the highest career PPG average, and occupying most top-5 lists of 30, 40, 50, and 60-point games. Known as The GOAT, MJ was a master at scoring the ball and never made it look difficult when he was destroying defenses year after year. When it comes to pure skill, without stats involved, Jordan is the master offensively.
Wilt once scored 100 points in a single game and also won 7 scoring titles. The center found it too easy to score that even if he played today, he would get buckets without a doubt. Chamberlain also had a high basketball IQ and skill with the ball in his hands, so he wasn’t just a putback scorer and clean-up guy either. LeBron does not have the stats or size to compete with Wilt as a scorer.
Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant have to be regarded as better scorers than LeBron also. They both won more scoring titles, have elite offensive moves, exceptional handles, and better jump shots. Kobe and KD are the two greatest mid-range scorers ever outside of MJ and are automatic from the free-throw line. Kobe shot 83.7% from the line and Durant averaged a whopping 88.6% from the stripe. LeBron simply cannot compare (72.7%) in that regard.
Just because James has become the all-time leading scorer, he is easily a top-10 scorer ever. He is not on the level of MJ, Kobe, Durant, and Wilt when it comes to scoring the ball. Because of his size, James probably has the edge over Allen Iverson, James Harden, Elgin Baylor, and George Gervin, who are elite offensive players also. However, some might argue that James Harden is a better scorer than James because he won 3 scoring titles and has more 40, 50, and 60-point games than LeBron.
No matter where you rank LeBron in the top 10, he is not the greatest scorer ever and won’t be captured at number one. He does not have the ball-handling, shooting, or free-throw efficiency to be on the level of MJ, Kobe, and Durant and cannot compare to Wilt in pure statistical dominance. James might be the 5th greatest scorer ever, although some might argue that James Harden is above him, also. An all-time great player and scorer, LeBron James is a one-of-a-kind athlete who is not the greatest scorer ever because the stats and analysis prove that.
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