1984 NBA Draft Class: 10 Players Who Scored The Most Career Points

The 1984 NBA Draft class is one of the most historically gifted and celebrated draft classes in history. From this draft class were born MVPs, All-Stars, defensive wizards, champions, and the greatest player of all time. Today, we will focus on the best scorers from this draft class and the ones who accumulated the most career points. Some of the players on this list will surprise you and some are given members of this exclusive club.

The 10 best scorers from this draft were all drafted with Top 20 picks in the 1984 draft besides one. Each player listed has accumulated at least 10,000 points in their NBA career and all made a significant impact on each franchise they played for. Included on this list are 3 MVP winners and multiple NBA champions. From top to bottom, this draft class is filled with NBA legends and players who have left their mark on the game in their own ways forever. Now, it is time to see which players tallied the most career points from this prestigious and legendary group.

These are the 10 players from the 1984 NBA Draft class that scored the most points in their careers.

10. Vern Fleming – 10,125 Points (893 Games)

Career Stats: 11.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Vern Fleming was the 18th pick in the 1984 draft to the Indiana Pacers. He would spend the next 11 seasons in Indiana and actually had a great start to his career there. He averaged 14.0 PPG or better in each of his first two seasons with the Pacers and added at least 1.2 SPG as well. Fleming was a difference maker on both ends of the floor and from 1985 through 1991, he averaged 13.6 PPG, 5.9 APG, and 1.3 SPG starting 500 out of 549 games in Indiana.

From the 1990-91 season through the 1995-95 season, Fleming was moved to the bench in a smaller role. During this time, his production obviously dipped, and he averaged 7.7 PPG, 3.0 APG, and 0.7 SPG. His numbers were still good enough to consider him a decent role player, but he never returned to his younger form. Fleming would spend one season with the New Jersey Nets in 1995-96 and appear in 77 games off of the bench, averaging 7.7 PPG and 3.3 APG before leaving the NBA to play overseas in France.

9. Alvin Robertson – 10,882 Points (779 Games)

Career Stats: 14.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 5.0 APG, 2.7 SPG, 0.4 BPG

Alvin Robertson is a player who gets remembered mostly for his defensive production and rightfully so. He averaged 2.7 SPG for his career and led the league in SPG 3 times. What many people forget is just how complete of a point guard he was, able to score in bunches and afford his teammates easy opportunities to do the same. Alvin Robertson began his career with the San Antonio Spurs, where he would spend the first 5 seasons of his career. He became a three-time All-Star with them and during those seasons was an 18.1 PPG scorer. 

Robertson would then move on to Milwaukee where he would spend the next 3 and a half seasons with the Bucks. He was still a prominent defensive force with the Bucks and was the starter for the team in most games. He averaged 12.7 PPG with Milwaukee before being dealt to the Pistons in the 1992-93 season. Robertson was forced to retire in 1995 due to a back injury that had cost him 2 full seasons of NBA play. Robertson definitely would have found himself higher on this list had he not been taken out by the back injury at just 30 years old.

8. Jerome Kersey – 11,825 Points (1,153 Games)

Career Stats: 10.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.7 BPG

Jerome Kersey was a 17-year NBA veteran and synonymous with the late 80s and early 90s Trail Blazers teams. He was a key role player from the small forward position who helped lead Portland to the NBA Finals in both 1990 and 1992, of which they lost both. He was one of their most important players and most durable, never appearing in less than 63 games in a season. Kersey was finally able to obtain an NBA championship ring with the 1999 San Antonio Spurs with a minimal role off of the bench.

Kersey’s offensive peak can only be considered during his time with the Trail Blazers from 1987 through 1993. During this time, Kersey averaged 14.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 1.5 SPG on 47.8% shooting. His career-high scoring in a season came in 1988 when he averaged 19.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 1.6 SPG on 49.9% shooting overall from the field. Kersey’s 17 seasons of NBA service and his peak in Portland land him the 8th-best scorer of the 1984 NBA Draft.

7. Sam Perkins – 15,324 Points (1,286 Games)

Career Stats: 11.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.7 BPG

Sam Perkins is another player on this list from the 1984 NBA draft that gave 17 years of service to the league. Perkins played in over 1,100 games in his NBA career for the Mavericks, Lakers, SuperSonics, and Pacers. Perkins was Michael Jordan’s teammate at the University Of North Carolina and was chosen with the pick right after him at No. 4 overall in the 84’ Draft. Perkins was consistent for most of his 17 years as a double-digit scorer and tough rebounder.

The offensive output from Perkins was never better than his time with the team who drafted him, the Dallas Mavericks. Perkins spent his first 6 seasons in the NBA with the Mavs and averaged 14.4 PPG and 8.0 RPG in those 6 years. From 1986 through 1990, Perkins gave Dallas 15.1 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.1 SPG, and 1.0 BPG. His best scoring season came in 1992 when he averaged 16.5 PPG with the Los Angeles Lakers. In 6 seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics, he averaged 11.1 PPG and was a key piece for them off of the bench in 1996 when they reached the NBA Finals.

6. Kevin Willis – 17,253 Points (1,424 Games)

Career Stats: 12.1 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Kevin Willis is a 7-foot power forward/center who is remembered most for his time with the Atlanta Hawks. After being drafted in 1984 by the Hawks, Willis would go on to play until he was 44 years old and retire in 2007. Willis was a tough and rugged player during his best days and a ferocious rebounder. He wasn’t one to mess with in the paint and he would let you know if you were crossing the line with him. Willis made just one All-Star team in his career and is known by some as one of the worst basketball players to ever live, which is simply not true.

There was no better stretch scoring-wise for Kevin Willis in his career than his 10-and-a-half seasons in Atlanta. During his time with the Hawks, Willis averaged 14.1 PPG and 9.7 RPG on 50.3% shooting overall. Willis earned his only All-Star selection in 1992 when he averaged 18.3 PPG and 15.5 RPG in 81 games for the Hawks. His career-high in scoring came in 1994 in Atlanta when he averaged 19.1 PPG on 49.9% shooting. Willis would finally get a championship ring with the 2003 Spurs in a minimal role for them off of the bench.

5. Otis Thorpe – 17,600 Points (1,257 Games)

Career Stats: 14.0 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.4 BPG

Otis Thorpe is known widely for his contributions to the 1994 Houston Rockets, which won the NBA championship. During the early part of his career with the Rockets and Kings, Thorpe was a reliable post presence next to Hakeem Olajuwon in the early and mid-90s while also being a relentless difference-maker on the glass with rebounds. He was consistent and efficient in his ways on the basketball court and his scoring numbers reflected it.

During his first 5 seasons as a member of the Kings, Thorpe blossomed into a decent scorer and rebounder. By 1988, Thorpe was averaging 20.8 PPG and 10.2 RPG with Sacramento while starting all 82 games. His first 4 seasons with the Rockets were no different. Over this time, Thorpe averaged 17.2 PPG and 9.8 RPG on 55.9% shooting. He earned the only All-Star selection of his career in 1991-92 when he averaged 17.3 PPG and 10.5 RPG on 59.2% shooting. Thorpe would go on to play with 6 more NBA franchises in his career before retiring in 2001 and only averaged less than 10.0 PPG in the final 2 seasons of his career.

4. John Stockton – 19,711 Points (1,504 Games)

Career Stats: 13.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 10.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG

John Stockton played 19 career NBA seasons all as a member of the Utah Jazz. Stockton is known mostly as a pass-first point guard and playmaker, but over the course of 19 seasons, you tend to rack up the points as well. Personally, I find it impressive that the all-time leader in steals and assists found a way to score over 19,000 career points and is still seen by some as overrated. In his time with the Jazz, Stockton led them to 2 NBA Finals, was named an All-Star 10 times, was named an All-NBA Player 11 times, and earned 5 All-Defensive Team selections.

John Stockton led the NBA in assists for 9 straight seasons from 1988 through 1996. During this time, he was a consistent scorer, and overall, he averaged 15.7 PPG, 13.1 APG, and 2.6 SPG. Stockton didn’t have to be a high-scoring point guard like you see today, but instead a pass-first player who could put the ball in the hoop if asked and called upon. Stockton’s career-high in scoring came in back-to-back seasons in 1990 and 1991 when he averaged 17.2 PPG.

3. Charles Barkley – 23,757 Points (1,073 Games)

Career Stats: 22.1 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.8 BPG

Charles Barkley was selected 5th overall in the 1984 NBA Draft and went on to become one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Barkley could do it all on the offensive side of the ball, including score, rebound, shoot, finish with authority, and even be a passer when asked, or the situation called for it. There weren’t many like him on the offensive side of the ball that could, at his size, kill you in the post while also being able to step out and hit shots from deep. If all else failed, Barkley could take the ball coast to coast off of a rebound when he wanted to and finish at the other end like a freight train coming down the lane.

From his 2nd season in 1986 through 1996, Barkley was a consistent 20.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG threat who would take home the MVP in 1993 and lead the Suns to an NBA Finals appearance. In 8 seasons with Philadelphia to begin his career, Barkley averaged 23.3 PPG and made 6 All-Star appearances. In the next 4 seasons with the Suns, he averaged 23.4 PPG and made 4 All-Star appearances. His career-high in scoring came in 1988 when he was still a young man with the Sixers. He averaged 28.3 PPG in 80 games with Philly and shot 58.7% from the field. Barkley’s scoring is just one factor that goes into naming him one of the greatest to ever play the power forward position.

2. Hakeem Olajuwon – 26,946 Points (1,238 Games)

Career Stats: 21.8 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 3.1 BPG

If you watched even a minute of Hakeem Olajuwon at the University of Houston, then you knew that he was rightfully chosen as the No. 1 overall pick in 1984. Olajuwon would go on to become an MVP, a 2x Finals MVP, and widely considered to be the greatest defender in NBA history. He was an offensive machine during his prime, with an unstoppable array of post moves and a mid-range jumper that was virtually unguardable. Hakeem made opposing centers look silly and stunned when he was done with them on the court and became one of the better two-way basketball players in league history.

Hakeem was immediately an offensive threat from his rookie year forward. He averaged 20.6 PPG during his rookie season and would not dip below that scoring average until 1997, his 14th year in the NBA. He led the league in BPG 3 times during his peak and was a consistent 25.0 PPG scorer. His offensive peak should be considered from the 1992-93 season through the 1995-96 season. Over this 4-year span, Olajuwon averaged 27.0 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 1.7 SPG, and 3.6 BPG. In the playoffs with the Rockets, Hakeem averaged 26.6 PPG for his career and delivered 2 championships averaging 28.9 PPG in 1994 and 33.0 PPG in 1995.

1. Michael Jordan – 32,292 Points (1,072 Games)

Is anyone else surprised by the presence of the G.O.A.T. at the top of this list? Didn’t think so. Michael Jordan is the greatest scorer that the NBA has ever seen. He collected 10 scoring titles, 5 MVP awards, 6 championships, 6 Finals MVPs, and the highest career PPG for any player in history during the course of his 15-year career. He had 8 seasons of 30.0 PPG or more and also holds the all-time record for PPG in the playoffs. Jordan also holds the highest scoring average in a single Finals series with 41.0 PPG in the 1993 Finals and the 2nd most PPG for the NBA Finals in a career with 33.6 PPG.

The fact that Michael Jordan accomplished all of these scoring feats in the non-three-point era is perhaps the most impressive thing about his game. Jordan mastered the art of the mid-range shot and getting to the basket during his career and shot 49.7% from the field overall in 15 seasons. In 13 seasons with the Bulls, Jordan averaged 31.5 PPG and 33.2 PPG from 1987 through 1993. Of course, Jordan is the most legendary player in all of sports, and how he acquired that title by becoming not only the best scorer from the 1984 NBA Draft class but the greatest that the NBA has ever seen. 

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