10 Youngest NBA Players To Ever Score 40+ Points In A Game: Cooper Flagg Leads The Pack

Cooper Flagg just ripped the record book in half. On Monday, the Dallas Mavericks rookie dropped 42 points in a 140-133 overtime loss to the Utah Jazz, becoming the youngest player ever to hit 40 in an NBA game.

It wasn’t a cute “quiet 40,” either. He lived at the line, carried the offense for long stretches, and basically forced the Jazz to treat an 18-year-old like a veteran star.

That one night is why he’s now sitting at the top of this list.

1. Cooper Flagg (18 Years, 359 Days): 42 Points vs. Utah Jazz (2025)

Flagg’s 42 wasn’t just a big rookie game; it was a full-on “welcome to the league, now deal with me” moment. The Mavericks didn’t win, but the point is the Jazz had to survive him. He finished with 42 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, and the Jazz still needed overtime to put it away. That’s wild for any teenager, let alone one still learning the day-to-day grind of the NBA schedule.

What makes this even crazier is how fast the jump has been. ESPN noted Flagg has been playing his best basketball lately, averaging 25.7 points over his last seven games leading into the Jazz matchup. So this wasn’t random lightning. It was the peak of a heater that’s been building.

And it’s not like his overall season has been empty volume, either. Through the season, he’s sitting on 18.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, shooting 48.2% from the field. That’s already “top option” usage in plenty of rookie situations, and he’s doing it while defenses are clearly adjusting to him in real time.

Historically, this is the big one: Flagg’s 42 at 18 years, 359 days tops the previous “teen 40” age mark held by LeBron James, and ESPN even laid it out clean in their teen scoring table. The league has had prodigies before. It has not had many who do this before turning 19.

2. LeBron James (19 Years, 88 Days): 41 Points vs. New Jersey Nets (2004)

Before Flagg, this record belonged to the original modern blueprint of teenage dominance. On March 27, 2004, LeBron James put up 41 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 107-104 win over the New Jersey Nets, and he did it at 19 years, 88 days old.

This game matters because it wasn’t just scoring. LeBron stuffed the whole box score: 41 points, six rebounds, 13 assists, and three steals, shooting 15-for-29 from the field and a perfect 10-for-10 at the line. That’s a teenager controlling an NBA game like a point forward, years before the league even fully adapted to what that meant.

Context makes it hit harder too. That was LeBron’s rookie season, straight out of high school, with the entire sport staring at him every night, waiting for the first stumble. Instead, he basically treated pressure like fuel. Over that full rookie year, he averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists, which still reads absurd when you remember how few teenagers even get to run an offense like that.

And the Nets weren’t some random punching bag. They were a real playoff-level opponent at the time, with size and veterans, and LeBron still walked into that game and left with the youngest 40-point performance the league had ever seen.

3. GG Jackson (19 Years, 119 Days): 44 Points vs. Denver Nuggets (2024)

This one is still hilarious because it happened on the last day of the season, in a game the Denver Nuggets actually cared about. They were chasing seeding and ended up locking up the West’s No. 2 seed with a 126-111 win, while the Memphis Grizzlies were basically held together with tape and role players.

And in the middle of all that, GG Jackson decided to turn the night into his personal highlight reel.

He dropped a career-high 44 points with 12 rebounds, and it wasn’t some fluky 10-for-12 shooting night where everything accidentally fell in. He took the shots, he carried the offense, and he kept firing even as the Nuggets kept answering back. He went 17-for-36 from the field, hit four threes, got to the line, and basically forced the Nuggets to treat a teenager like the No. 1 option.

The funniest part is that the Grizzlies still lost by 15, which kind of tells you how insane the situation was around him. They finished 27-55 in the season and were missing bodies all over the place, but Jackson made the game worth watching anyway.

In terms of “young scorer” moments, this is one of the cleanest examples ever. He wasn’t padding stats in garbage time. He was trying to drag a broken roster across the finish line against a contender, and he still got 44. That’s the kind of performance that makes people stop saying “promising” and start saying “problem.”

4. Kevin Durant (19 Years, 200 Days): 42 Points vs. Golden State Warriors (2008)

This is the “oh… he’s THAT guy” Kevin Durant game.

It happened in his rookie season with the Seattle SuperSonics, late in the year, in a road matchup against the Golden State Warriors. And Durant didn’t just score a lot, he did it with the kind of ease that makes you realize the league is about to have a long-term problem. He finished with 42 points in a 126-121 win, and it instantly became the high-water mark for teenage scoring nights for years.

What always stands out about this one is the timing. Rookie seasons usually end with “okay, nice year, see you next fall.” This was Durant ending it by dropping a clinic in a real NBA environment, on the road, against a playoff-level Warriors team. It felt less like a random career-high and more like a trailer for what was coming.

And it’s not hard to see why it stuck. Durant’s scoring style even then was basically cheat-code simple: get to his spots, rise up over contests, punish you for being too small, punish you for being too slow. The box score says 42, but the bigger story is that it looked sustainable.

That’s why this game belongs here. It wasn’t just “young guy gets hot.” It was the first time a lot of people watched teenage Durant and thought, yeah, this is going to be a decade-plus thing.

5. Anthony Edwards (19 Years, 225 Days): 42 Points vs. Phoenix Suns (2021)

Rookie Anthony Edwards turning a random regular-season night into a headline is basically his brand now, but this was the first time it felt truly historic.

He dropped 42 on the Phoenix Suns, and it wasn’t some empty calorie performance either. It was a statement game that put him in that rare teen scoring club, right behind LeBron and Durant at the time.

The fun part is how it happened. Edwards wasn’t playing like a kid trying to survive. He played like a guy hunting shots, hunting matchups, and daring defenders to stay in front of him. It was power, downhill pressure, and that “I don’t care who you are” confidence that separates good young scorers from the ones who actually become stars.

Also, the opponent mattered. The Suns were a Finals team that year, not a soft landing spot for a rookie breakout. So when Edwards lit them up, it landed differently. It wasn’t “nice night.” It was a signal of what the future held for Edwards.

That’s why he’s on this list. It was one of those early career games where the league has to update the scouting report in real time. You could feel the tone shift from “talented rookie” to “future nightmare matchup.”

6. Carmelo Anthony (19 Years, 306 Days): 41 Points vs. Seattle SuperSonics (2004)

Rookie Carmelo Anthony was a bucket, full stop.

He dropped 41 for the Denver Nuggets against the Seattle SuperSonics, and it set a Nuggets franchise record for points in a game by a rookie at the time. That’s a big deal because the Nuggets didn’t draft him to be “solid.” They drafted him to be the scorer, immediately, and this was the night that matched the expectation.

The style was pure Melo. Tough shots, midrange confidence, and that calm rhythm where it looks like he’s playing at his pace no matter what the defense wants. What makes it even crazier is how early he was doing it. There are plenty of young stars who score 40 once the training wheels come off. Melo showed he never really had training wheels.

And historically, this game mattered because it kept the teenage 40-point conversation alive after LeBron’s rookie explosion. It wasn’t just LeBron in that era. Carmelo had his own “teen superstar scorer” stamp, and he put it down against a real NBA opponent with real size on the floor.

This is one of those performances that reminds people how insane that 2003 class was. You’re barely an adult, and you’re already dropping 40 like it’s normal. Carmelo made it look normal.

7. Cliff Robinson (19 Years, 362 Days): 45 Points vs. Detroit Pistons (1980)

This one is the deep-cut legend entry, and it absolutely deserves the respect.

Cliff Robinson scored 45 for the New Jersey Nets against the Detroit Pistons on March 9, 1980, and it still stands as the most points ever scored in an NBA game by a teenager. That’s not “pretty good for the era.” That’s a record that survived every modern pace, every three-point explosion, every green-light star since.

What makes it so wild is that it doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. People hear “Cliff Robinson” and may not even think about a “teenager dropping 45 in an NBA game.” But it happened, and it happened against a real opponent, not some novelty matchup.

This is also why lists like this are fun. You get reminded that scoring history isn’t only LeBron, KD, and the modern names. Sometimes it’s a 19-year-old in 1980 just torching a team and leaving a mark that lasts decades.

If you want the purest definition of “teen scoring outlier,” this is it. Forty-five as a teenager is ridiculous in any era. Doing it in that era is basically absurd.

8. John Drew (20 Years, 22 Days): 41 Points vs. Philadelphia 76ers (1974)

John Drew showing up on this list is a reminder that teenage and early-20s scoring insanity didn’t start in the social media era.

He dropped 41 for the Atlanta Hawks against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 22, 1974, and he did it at just 20 years and 22 days old. The box score tells you he was aggressive all night, living in scoring mode and forcing the defense to deal with him possession after possession.

What I like about Drew’s placement here is the vibe. This was a young player immediately taking on responsibility like a veteran. No easing in. No “let me find my role.” It’s straight to big usage, big points, and big presence.

And historically, this is one of those early-season games that can define a narrative. You start your career, and you hang a 41-piece on the 76ers, suddenly, you’re not just a rookie anymore. You’re someone teams have to game plan for.

Drew’s name doesn’t get thrown around enough in these “youngest to do it” conversations, but the production was real, and the age is the whole point. Twenty years old and you’re already in the 40-point history books.

9. Eric Gordon (20 Years, 29 Days): 41 Points vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (2009)

Eric Gordon’s rookie year had flashes, but this was the flash that basically screamed, “I’m not just a role player.”

He dropped 41 for the Los Angeles Clippers against the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 23, 2009, at 20 years and 29 days old. That’s a monster number for a rookie guard, and it became a franchise rookie scoring benchmark for the Clippers at the time.

What made Gordon scary was the mix. He wasn’t out there playing like a spot-up shooter who needs everything set up. He was attacking, firing, getting to his spots, and punishing any defensive mistake. The kind of game where you stop thinking “nice young piece” and start thinking “this guy could average 20 if you give him the ball.”

Also, it’s funny in hindsight that this happened in a game where the Thunder had Kevin Durant going off too with a 46-piece, because it shows how real the scoring environment was. Gordon didn’t get a quiet 41 in a sleepy game. He matched the energy.

For this list, the key is simple: he got 40-plus ridiculously young, and it’s one of the cleanest “rookie breakout” examples you’ll find.

10. Brandon Jennings (20 Years, 52 Days): 55 Points vs. Golden State Warriors (2009)

This is still one of the most insane “wait… already?” games ever.

Brandon Jennings dropped 55 for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Golden State Warriors on November 14, 2009, at 20 years and 52 days old. And it wasn’t late-career chucking. It was his seventh NBA game. Seventh. That is genuinely unthinkable.

It’s also why Jennings is the perfect closer for this top 10. Most of the guys on this list scored 40, and their careers explain the rest. Jennings scored 55, and you went, “What is happening?” The jump from 40 to 55 is massive, and he did it before most players even know how to read NBA defenses consistently.

The craziest historical nugget is that he’s also recognized as the youngest player to score 50 in an NBA game, and he reached 50 faster than anyone had at that point. That’s not just a hot night. That’s a once-in-a-generation kind of rookie outburst.

This game didn’t turn Jennings into a superstar, but it did give him a forever spot in NBA trivia and scoring lore. If you were watching that night, you remember it. If you weren’t, you’ve heard about it. That’s how you know it counts.