NBA All-Time Leaders For Every Major Stat Category

Finishing among the top five in any particular basketball category is a spectacular achievement, as that signals a mix of longevity, success, and impact. The most recent inclusion to an all-time list is none other than LeBron James, who managed to become top-5 in points most recently and continues to climb the all-time assists ranking as he is currently 4th in that category. Other than LeBron James, who is the new king of longevity, there have been some spectacular superstars throughout history who have a firm grip on all-time categories. 

It is time to discuss the top 5 all-time leaders in every major category: points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, 3-pointers made, and games played. These are the most important categories because they capture the impact on both ends of the floor while also taking into account the importance of longevity. Some names will appear more than once while some categories will be allocated to only special players with unique gifts. Here are the NBA all-time leaders for every major stat category. 

NBA All-Time Points Leaders

1. LeBron James – 38,390

2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 38,387

3. Karl Malone – 36,928

4. Kobe Bryant – 33,643

5. Michael Jordan – 32,292

LeBron James is the latest player to shatter the all-time scoring record, as he somehow managed to beat out Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the iconic achievement. Seeing the greats break the scoring record throughout history has been an amazing timeline of the NBA’s history, and The King proudly sits on top of all players in scoring. Whether someone breaks that or not remains to be seen, but it is safe to say that James’ record could be in good hands for the foreseeable future. A spectacular attacker of the basketball, The King has scored over 38,300 points and counting as he aims to score over 40,000 points in the NBA. 

Kareem is second as the man who held the record for 39 years after beating out Wilt Chamberlain at the time. Armed with the most unstoppable shot in NBA history in the sky hook, Kareem was able to play 20 years and into his 40s without missing much of a step as a scorer. The center was 7’2” and his sky hook was shot from a very high point, meaning the big man has to be regarded as the greatest offensive player ever at his position. Behind him is Karl Malone, the man with an automatic mid-range shot and a player who benefitted greatly from John Sotckton’s presence as the all-time assist leader.

Malone, at 6’9” and 250 lbs, was an unstoppable force inside the paint, and his pick-n-roll alongside Stockton was devastating over the big man’s illustrious 19-year career. Behind him are the two most talented scorers ever in Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. It was a joyous occasion when Bryant passed MJ for career points, as it was cause for celebration as the disciple managed to beat out the master. Of course, MJ is 5th all-time with 10 scoring titles and probably would have had the all-time scoring record had he not retired on two different occasions.  

NBA All-Time Rebounds Leaders

1. Wilt Chamberlain – 23,924

2. Bill Russell – 21,620

3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 17,440

4. Elvin Hayes – 16,279

5. Moses Malone – 16,212

Wilt is the most dominant physical specimen of all time, as his statistics continuously show. Chamberlain never averaged under 18 RPG in a single season and put up a career-high in 1961 when he posted 27.2 RPG as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors. The year prior, Wilt averaged 27.0 RPG as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors as well. He did it while playing an extraordinary number of minutes (over 46 MPG per season). It is amazing to see such a spectacular athlete dominate professional sports the way the big man did every year in his prime. Chamberlain clearly benefited by being the biggest and most athletic player of his time, because he could haul down almost every rebound that came off the rim. He could leap and use his length to have a ridiculous advantage, and whatever little footage we have will show this to be reality. 

In second place is 11-time NBA champion, Bill Russell. The late and great Russell was a fantastic defensive player who preferred to play defense and rebound the ball instead of focusing on the offensive end of the court. Russell decided to dominate the boards and the defensive end, which ultimately gave the Boston Celtics teams the best chance to win year after year. Winning 11 NBA championships in 12 years is a clear indication that this strategy worked. The Boston Celtics legend finished his career with an average of 22.5 RPG, and never averaged under 18 RPG in a single season. 

The man who was known as the longevity king before LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is third all-time in rebounds. Playing in 20 seasons, Kareem had his career-high in 1976 when he posted 16.9 RPG for the Lakers and averaged a career 11.2 RPG. Competing over two decades allowed Kareem to accumulate over 17,000 rebounds in the paint. Elvin Hayes and Moses Malone round out the top-5, as two elite big men with special abilities to rebound the ball. Hayes averaged a career 12.5 RPG while Moses posted 12.2 RPG during his NBA stint and 12.9 RPG in the ABA.

NBA All-Time Assists Leaders

1. John Stockton – 15,806

2. Jason Kidd – 12,091

3. Chris Paul – 11,300

4. LeBron James – 10,354

5. Steve Nash – 10,335

No player will likely ever pass John Stockton in all-time assist rankings because the point guard managed to accumulate over 15,000 assists over 19 seasons. The major reason was that Stockton played alongside The Mailman, Karl Malone. Arguably the second-greatest power forward ever and the 3rd all-time leading scorer, Malone was an automatic bucket-getter when he received passes from Stockton. Often in the pick-n-roll, Malone and Stockton created the most potent play in the modern era. Whether it was a bounce bass or a chest pass, Malone was quick to score upon receiving the ball. Is there any wonder why John Stockton managed over 3,000 more assists than the second-place man? 

Behind Stockton is Jason Kidd, who is one of the very few point guards with legitimate triple-double ability. An incredible leader in terms of playmaking, Kidd was able to lead the offense with multiple teams over his career as a 6’4” guard with a powerful frame. Weighing 205 lbs with a powerful build and elite quickness, Kidd was able to power to the rim and also grab assists at a high level. He finished his career with an average of 8.7 APG, with his best seasons coming in 1999 (10.8 APG) and 2000 (10.1 APG) as a member of the Phoenix Suns. What Chris Paul has done as a star point guard is truly exceptional, because nobody could have expected such dominance as a floor general from a 6’0” NBA player. Despite being such a little guy on NBA terms, CP3 has an innate ability to make his teammates better and has done so for 17 years.

One of the game’s best players and a star who is easily a top-10 player of all time, LeBron James has been a sensational player over his career. A versatile all-around player with an innate ability to attack the rim, James has proven to be unstoppable when he gets ahead of steam. Oftentimes, the defense would collapse on The King which meant James could easily find his teammates for open shots. Steve Nash, a two-time MVP and 5-time assist champion, the point guard could orchestrate an offense singlehandedly as he did as the master behind the Phoenix Suns’ “7 Seconds or Less” offense during the 2010s decade. No doubt, Nash has to be regarded as one of the best passers of all time.

NBA All-Time Steals Leaders

1. John Stockton – 3,265

2. Jason Kidd – 2,684

3. Michael Jordan – 2,514

4. Chris Paul – 2,509

5. Gary Payton – 2,445

No player will likely ever pass John Stockton in all-time steals rankings. There were a couple of reasons why Stockton managed to accumulate over 3,000 steals in 19 seasons. The major reason was that Stockton was adept at playing dirty, getting physical, and getting underneath his opponent’s skins. Of course, John Stockton had an extremely high basketball IQ that he used to anticipate when the ball was going his way before taking advantage of that to run the fast break with Karl Malone trailing him. The Jazz legend could control the pace of the game by coming up with steals and hounding opposing ball-handlers when he wasn’t assisting the ball to Karl Malone. 

Jason Kidd is one of the very few point guards with legitimate lockdown defensive ability when it came to defending opposing point guards and shooting guards. An incredible leader in terms of playmaking, Kidd was also able to poke the ball away from ball handlers and play passing lanes. Thanks to his powerful build and elite quickness, Kidd was able to stand his ground against offensive players and also grab steals at a high level. He finished his career with an average of 1.9 SPG, with his best seasons coming in 1997 (2.3 SPG) and 1999 (2.3 SPG) as a member of the Phoenix Suns.

Amazingly, the only non-point guard on the list is The GOAT, Michael Jordan. Michael was known to be arguably the greatest defensive guard of all time, winning a Defensive Player of the Year in 1988 and averaging a career 2.3 SPG. Michael was not only an elite player at stealing the ball, he could literally pick up players the entire length of the court and shut them down. Chris Paul is 4th with 2,509 steals and an innate ability to play passing lanes and also poke away balls from offensive payers, using his quickness as a feisty 6’0” guard. Finally, the man known as “The Glove”, Gary Payton, finished 5th thanks to his quick hands and ability to simply shut down opposing players.

NBA All-Time Blocks Leaders

1. Hakeem Olajuwon – 3,830

2. Dikembe Mutombo – 3,289

3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 3,189

4. Mark Eaton – 3,064

5. Tim Duncan – 3,020

The greatest shot-blocker of all time is two-time NBA champion, Hakeem Olajuwon. The all-time leading scorer in Houston Rockers history was a fantastic offensive player who dominated the game thanks to his undeniably great footwork and low-post skills. But “The Dream” was also a very dominant defensive player, as evidenced by his two Defensive Player of the Year awards and ranking on the all-time blocks list. At 7’2”, his size was a massive factor but his defensive basketball IQ was truly on another level. Hakeem Olajuwon led the league in blocks three times with his best season coming in 1990 when he averaged 4.6 BPG and had nine seasons posting at least 3.0 BPG for the Houston Rockets.

Olajuwon was great at defending the rim, intercepting passes, and playing passing lanes. But in terms of shot-blocking, Hakeem ranks first all-time among all players with 3,830 blocked shots and finished with a career average of 3.1 BPG. Coming in second, Dikembe Mutombo is one of the most dominant shot-blockers of all time, winning the Defensive Player of the Year award four times. Dikembe was an incredible defender, using his size at 7’2” and 245 lbs to punish opposing players by lifting his arms high and exploding to get to shots. Of course, who can forget the iconic finger wag?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ranks among the top in a multitude of categories, and he ranks third all-time in blocks. Standing 7’2”, Kareem was unstoppable in the paint and averaged a career 2.6 BPG as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. Mark Eaton, a 7’4’’ monster who led the NBA in blocks four times and won two Defensive Player of the Year awards, is also top-5 as a scary figure on defense during the 1980s. Finally, the only pure power forward on the list, Tim Duncan ranks 5th all-time with over 3,000 blocks and did all of his damage with the San Antonio Spurs over 19 Hall of Fame seasons.

NBA All-Time 3-Pointers Leaders

1. Stephen Curry – 3,302

2. Ray Allen – 2,973

3. James Harden – 2,701

4. Reggie Miller – 2,560

5. Kyle Korver – 2,450

As expected, the man who holds the record for most threes made is the greatest shooter ever by every metric. Thanks to his deep-range prowess and unlimited range, Steph completely changed the game for the foreseeable future, almost singlehandedly. Curry is literally allowed to take any three he wants, which is why he continues to nail them as the lead between himself and Ray Allen continues to grow. Teams are always scrambling to plan for ways to stop Curry on the court, and are willing to give up layups if it means stopping the point guard from draining threes. 

Behind Curry is Ray Allen, the formerly greatest shooter of all time. Allen is the epitome of hard work because he had the same jumper year after year and practiced the same form consistently. That is why Allen nailed one of the greatest shots in NBA history in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals and made close to 3,000 three-pointers in his Hall of Fame career. Right on his heels is The Beard, James Harden, who is a three-point hoister who averages a career 7.6 attempts per game from deep. Despite being an elite slasher and tremendous playmaker, Harden has forever fallen in love with the three and he isn’t slowing down anytime soon, as he looks to grab the second all-time spot before he retires. 

The other two spots belong to Reggie Miller and Kyle Korver. Reggie was the greatest shooter ever before Ray Allen broke his record and was by far the best marksman of the 1990s. Despite playing in an era where the three-point shot was not respected, practiced, or encouraged, Miller constantly dismantled defenses with his jumper. Despite not being an elite star like others on this list, Kyle Korver has to be recognized as one of the greatest shooters ever because he made 2,450 threes over a 17-year career. Armed with a quick release and excellent off-ball movement, Korver was automatic from deep.

NBA All-Time Games Leaders

1. Robert Parish – 1,611

2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 1,560

3. Vince Carter – 1,541

4. Dirk Nowitzki – 1,522

5. John Stockton – 1,504

Robert Parish is Ironman because he played an unbelievable 1,611 total career games over his Hall of Fame career. With an impressive 51 games ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in first place, the legendary 7-foot center hardly missed time over his 21-season career. A four-time champion and nine-time All-Star, Parish is one of the greatest centers in league history. Although he played in an era with players who had more superstar offensive numbers, Parish’s longevity saw him surpass many of his peers when it came to most games completed. In second is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the second-leading scorer ever and the center who ranks 3rd in rebounds and 3rd in blocks. 

Kareem completed over 1,500 games over his 20 years in the NBA, as his sky hook shot and 7’2” height made the game easy for him to dominate. Abdul-Jabbar was able to play into his 40s because he has a solid basketball mind and even as he lost athleticism, he could let the sky hook loose while also defending the paint with experience and size. In third is Vince Carter, the most recent inclusion to the all-time list as the greatest dunker of all time retired after the 2020 NBA season. Carter lasted a long time in the NBA because even as he lost his All-Star scoring ability, he always had a spot on a team roster due to his experience and leadership abilities.

Dirk Nowitzki, one of the greatest players of all time, played 21 seasons as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. The greatest player in franchise history, the big German managed to always keep his one-legged fadeaway consistent and has to be the greatest shooting big man ever. The 14-time All-Star from Germany retired at 40 years old, making his final All-Star Team in 2019. Finally, John Stockton played over 1,500 career games as an architect for the Utah Jazz alongside Karl Malone. Stockton played until he was 40 years old, completing 19 years in the league, and never really dropped his level when it came to passing and also playing above-average defense at his position.

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