10 NBA Players With The Most Career Points: Where They Rank On All-Time Free Throws Made List?

The most exciting and talked about aspect of the game of basketball is scoring. As LeBron James approaches the all-time scoring record held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the conversations about the Top 10 scorers ever and how they got their points have never been more white-hot than they are today. How the top scorers ever have gotten their points has come in many ways. There are the 3-point shooters who knocked down hundreds of three to get where they are in the rankings, and there are the ones who stayed within the paint and attacked the basket.

Inevitably, when players attack the basket or are dominant in the post, they are bound to be fouled and sent to the free-throw line. This holds especially true for the big men and players who specialize in getting their points at the rim. Just as we have done with assists and 3-pointers in the past, the time has come to take a look at the Top 10 players with the most career points and how much knocking down their free throws played a part in their scoring. This will let us know not only which players were being sent to the line more often than the others but at what percentage they were hitting their foul shots as well.

These are the 10 NBA players who scored the most career points and where they rank in free throws made all time.

10. Moses Malone – 2nd In Free Throws, 10th In Points

Free Throws – 8,531 (76.9%)

Points – 27,409 Points

As most of you probably already know, Moses Malone made his living in the paint on both offensive and defensive rebounds. He shot a cool 49.7% from within the 3-point arc and was one of the best at cashing in on second-chance opportunities. Malone was a 31.1 PPG scorer at his peak, grabbing anywhere from 5.0 to 7.5 offensive rebounds per game. There is no doubt that Malone was getting his points in the paint and at the rim, which means fighting through a lot of contacts and being awarded many trips to the foul line.

At the beginning of his career in Houston, the three-time MVP was getting anywhere from 7.5-11.4 free throw attempts per game. He shot an average of 75.9% from the foul line at the peak of his career and even had a few seasons of above 80.0% shooting from the lines as his career went on into its later seasons. All in all, Malone shot 76.9% from the line for his career, knocking down 8,531 shots from the lines on over 11,000 attempts in total.

9. Carmelo Anthony – 17th In Free Throws, 9th In Points

Free Throws – 6,320 (81.4%)

Points – 28,289 Points

The talents that Carmelo Anthony possessed as a scorer are well-documented throughout our work. He was a true three-level scorer who could take over a game in any way that he wanted during his prime. During his younger days with the Nuggets, Anthony was a much more aggressive scorer at the rim and did a lot of work from the low block and in the post, producing more free throw attempts than at any other point in his career. As he modified his game with the introduction of the three-point revolution, his attempts from the foul line naturally decreased.

With Denver, Anthony could force his way to the foul line anywhere from 550 to 700 times in a season and knock them down at a respectable 80.1% rate. With the Knicks during his peak, Anthony was getting to the line anywhere from 400 to 500 times per season and shooting 83.9% on just 6.3 attempts per game. Whether due to injury or his propensity to become a jump shooter later in his career, the attempts began to dwindle for him with the Thunder, Trail Blazers, and Lakers. It is clear that Anthony got his points in much more creative ways than forcing himself to the foul line or baiting fouls.

8. Shaquille O’Neal – 23rd In Free Throws, 8th In Points

Free Throws – 5,935 (52.7%)

Points – 28,596 Points

Shaquille O’Neal was someone who absolutely dominated the competition in the paint and the post. O’Neal was also regarded as one of the worst free throw shooters to ever play the game which is a reason for the Hack-A-Shaq strategy that so many teams implemented against him at his peak. When O’Neal received the ball in the post or paint, it was pretty much a given that he was going to convert for two points which is why he led the NBA in field goal percentage 10 times during his career. However, it was almost a given that he would miss at least one of his two foul shots if teams sent him to the line making for critical decisions from the opposition.

In 19 seasons in the NBA, O’Neal led the league in free throw attempts six times. He also shot less than 50.0% from the line eight times and over 60.0% just once. Free throw shooting for O‘Neal was his only Achilles heel when it came to his offensive game, and teams knew it. In what could be considered his most dominant times from 1999 thru 2004, Shaq was sent to the line more times than anyone in basketball and shot just 53.9% over that span. Even as they tried to do everything to slow him down, Shaq was just too much as he won three NBA championships, three Finals MVPs, and one MVP during this stretch.

7. Wilt Chamberlain – 20th In Free Throws, 7th In Points

Free Throws – 6,057 (51.1%)

Points – 31,419 Points

Believe it or not, Wilt Chamberlain was a worse free-throw shooter than Shaq. There were multiple reasons that teams sent Chamberlain to the line more often than anyone else in the NBA at the time. The first was the fact that he only shot just over 51.0% from the line for his career. The next was that it was all anyone could do to stop the dominant scorer and rebounder, who stood tall above most of the competition he faced during his time.

During the first seven seasons of his career, Chamberlain won seven scoring titles and four rebounding titles. With this dominance, Wilt also led the NBA in free throw attempts six times during that span and nine times total in his career. His foul shot attempts reached over 1000 total in each season from 1961 thru 1954. In 1962, the year he averaged over 50.0 PPG and 25.0 RPG, Wilt averaged 17.0 free throw attempts per game and converted on just 61.3% of them. He shot below 50.0% from the line six times during his career and under 60.0% 13 times. Incredible that he was being hacked this much and still managed the historic numbers he produced.

6. Dirk Nowitzki – 7th In Free Throws, 6th In Points

Free Throws – 7,240 (87.9%)

Points – 31,560 Points

Contrary to the first few names on this list, Dirk Nowitzki was somebody that teams did everything they could to avoid sending to the foul line. For his career, Nowitzki knocked down nearly 88.0% of his foul shots yet hovered right around 7.0 attempts per game for most of his peak seasons. Nowitzki’s game was predicated on his ability to knock down outside shots and his signature one-legged fadeaway. Whenever he put the ball on the ground or got close to the rim, it seemed like he was forcing his way to the foul line, where he absolutely disheartened the competition.

The only two times that Nowitzki shot below 80.0% from the line were in his rookie season at 20 years old and during his final season at 40 years old when he was attempting just 1.0 foul shots per game on average. In the year that he attempted the most free throws per game in 2005, he shot 86.9% from the line on 9.1 attempts. He even cracked the 90.0% free throw percentage mark three different times in his career, including his 2007 MVP season. The reason Nowitzki ranks so high on the made free throws list is due to 20 years of service in the NBA because strategy calls for keeping him as far away from the foul line as possible.

5. Michael Jordan – 6th In Free Throws, 5th In Points

Free Throws – 7,327 (83.5%)

Points – 32,292 Points

Michael Jordan is the greatest scorer in NBA history. He won the most scoring titles ever with 10 and holds the NBA records for most PPG in the regular season and playoffs. Jordan did this by attacking the basket with ruthless aggression and dominating the game from the mid-range using his patented fadeaway jumper. One of the many myths that fans generate about his game today is that he was sent to the foul line more than anyone else. I am here to prove just the opposite.

Early one in his career during the 80s, yes, Michael Jordan led the NBA in free throw attempts once while leading the NBA in free throws made twice. In his first five seasons, Jordan took over 700 foul shots in a season four times and shot them at an 84.8% rate. Once the 90s hit, he would never lead the NBA in free throws attempted again, and he never attempted 700 free throws in a season again either until the 1998 season when he took 721 free throws and made 78.4% of them. No matter which way you slice it, Jordan scored any way he wanted to but didn’t have as much help from the refs as his doubters claim he did.

4. Kobe Bryant – 3rd In Free Throws, 4th In Points

Free Throws – 8,378 (83.7%)

Points – 33,643 Points

Somebody that emulated Jordan’s game was certainly given much more superstar treatment than Jordan during his career. Kobe Bryant ranks third all-time in made free throws and attempted over 10,000 of them in his career, around 1,300 more than Jordan. Bryant played the same way and same style that MJ did, driving to the basket at will and mastering the art of the mid-range shot. Obviously, with Kobe playing five more seasons than Jordan in his career, foul shots will be in more abundance, and they were for Bryant, especially at his peak.

Where Bryant’s career at the foul line differs from Jordan’s is that Bryant was getting more calls in his prime. Kobe did not have his first season of over 7000 free throw attempts until 2003, his seventh season in the NBA. During three of his peak seasons from 2006 thru 2008, Bryant has three straight seasons of over 700 free throw attempts and led the NBA in 2007 with 768. He also led the NBA in made free throws twice in 2006 and 2007. Bryant is no doubt one of the most talented scorers ever, but his rank in free throws tells a big part of the story as well.

3. Karl Malone – 1st In Free Throws, 3rd In Points

Free Throws – 9,787 (74.2%)

Points – 36,928 Points

When it comes to consistency on the basketball court as a scorer, Karl Malone is one of the first names that comes to mind. As he formed one of the best duos in NBA history with John Stockton in the 80s and 90s, Malone became a lethal scorer in the paint, on the pick-and-roll, and in transition. Malone averaged at least 20.0 PPG for 17 years straight from 1987 thru 2003 and at least 25.0 PPG for 11 years straight from 1988 thru 1998. Just how much of this was from the aforementioned method, and how much was attributed to his conversions at the foul line?

Well, the answer is a lot. Once Malone began to enter his peak as an All-Star in 1989, this is when Malone would work his way to the foul line more than anyone in basketball for the next five years. From 1989 thru 1993, Malone led the NBA in total attempted free throws and in free throws made. He was taking anywhere from 836 – 918 free throws per season and making them at a 74.6% rate. Malone would benefit from the foul line later on as well. From 1997 thru 1999, Malone led the NBA in free throws attempted twice and in free throws made all three seasons. Malone would be the MVP of both the 1997 and 1999 seasons.

2. LeBron James – 4th In Free Throws, 2nd In Points

Free Throws – 8,022 (73.5%)

Points – 38,230 Points

Over the last 20 years, we have heard everything on planet Earth to discredit LeBron James as a scorer. As he approaches Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record, the fact is James is most likely the most consistent scorer in NBA history. James has averaged 25.0 PPG every season since 2004-05, giving him 19 years of consistent greatness even while mastering almost everything else on the court. As we break down his scoring, two things are clear. His method of playing downhill and attacking the rim has been spectacular, and his free-throw shooting can be considered of the very few weaknesses in his game.

In his 20-year NBA career, LeBron James has never reached the 80.0% mark from the foul line. He has shot as low as 66.5% in 2019 and as high as 78.0% in 2009. The fact that James has struggled mightily at times from the foul line is incredible when you consider he has never led the NBA in free throws attempted but has led once in free throws made once in 2009. When you break it down further, for most of his career, LeBron has been getting to the line 100 to 250 times less than the eight players below him on the all-time scoring list. Up until 2010, James had 700, or more free throw attempts five times. From 2011 forward, he attempted over 600 free throws just once in a season.

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 12th In Free Throws, 1st In Points

Free Throws – 6,712 (72.1%)

Points – 38,387 Points

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a scoring machine for most of his 20-year NBA career, especially in his early days. Kareem averaged at least 30.0 PPG in four of the first six seasons of his career from 1970 thru 1975. During that time, Kareem won two scoring titles and led the Milwaukee Bucks to multiple Finals appearances and an NBA championship in 1971. He averaged at least 20.0 PPG for the next 11 seasons of his career with the Lakers while winning five more NBA championships and a Finals MVP award.

While Kareem was dominating the paint with his skyhook and skill in the post, he never did lead the NBA in free throw attempts. He took 700 attempts in a season twice in his career and over 600 just twice more after that. His efficiency from the line never reached the 80.0% mark, but he did shoot at least 70.0% in 17 out of 20 seasons. As this may be our last article that has Kareem as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, the record being broken does not change where he stands among the GOATs in NBA history. 

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