The Best And Worst Career Performances Of The 25 Greatest NBA Players Ever

As far as legacy goes in the NBA, not every player is to be considered an all-time great or legend. Sure, there are the players who perfected their roles which led to NBA championships. Still, they never reached actual superstar status and are typically never considered to be one of the greatest players in league history. That honor is reserved for the ones who impacted the game on a level that others couldn’t touch. The players who hoisted the most championships, individual accolades, and are the most recognizable names who are synonymous with the game of basketball. However, even these players who are sometimes looked at as infallible, have shown their human side more than once.

Just because a player has earned the title of superstar or champion does not make them immune from having bad games. Similarly to how we discussed the 25 greatest players in NBA history’s rookie seasons, today we will dive into the best and worst performances of their careers. These games will not include the playoffs and will only count towards each player if they played at least 20 minutes in that contest. Taking a deeper look into these games, we will uncover what happened on these historically good and bad nights for some of the game’s biggest stars and take a look at each player’s opposition and production in these matchups.

These are the 25 greatest NBA players of all-time’s best and worst career performances.

25. Charles Barkley

Best Game Stats: 47 PTS, 15 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL, 0 BLK, 4 TO, 50.0% FG, 0.0% 3P, 80.0% FT

Worst Game Stats: 2 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 0.0% FG, 0.0% 3P, 100.0% FT

Charles Barkley is considered, as he should be, one of the greatest power forwards and players to ever play the game. Barkley’s best performance of his career came in February 1988 when Barkley’s Sixers went into Atlanta to take on Dominique Wilkins and the Hawks. Barkley would shoot 13-26 from the field, which included misses on all six of his three-point attempts. He would also grab 15 rebounds, but the 76ers would come up just short in Atlanta 112-110 behind 49 points and 12 rebounds from Wilkins.

Barkley’s worst game as a professional would come early on in his career with the Sixers in November of his second season in 1985. Barkley was still a third or fourth option at the time, considering Philadelphia boasted a lineup of Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and Maurice Cheeks. Still, Barkley was their starting power forward and played 22 minutes of a 21-point blowout loss to the Washington Bullets. Barkley would finish with 2 points on 0-7 shooting in the game, while Jeff Malone led Washington to a win with 32 points, and Charles Jones came up with 6 blocks.

24. Giannis Antetokounmpo

Best Game Stats: 55 PTS, 10 REB, 7 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 5 TO, 60.6% FG, 0.0% 3P, 93.8% FT

Worst Game Stats: 1 PT, 4 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 0.0% FG, 0.0% 3P, 50.0% FT

Considered to be one of, if not the best player in the world over the last five years, Giannis Antetokounmpo has turned in some amazing performances. This includes a 50-point game to close out and win the 2021 NBA Finals. Considering we are keeping things to the regular season, Giannis’ best game didn’t come too long ago. On January 3, 2023, Giannis and the Bucks were at home to take on the Washington Wizards. Giannis would lead the way in a 10-point win with a career-high 55 points on 20-33 shooting from the field. Uncommon for him, Giannis would also knock down 15-16 free throws to lead Milwaukee to victory.

We have to go back a long way to the last time that Giannis played over 20 minutes in a bad performance. As a matter of fact, we would have to go back to his rookie season when he was still coming off the bench in Milwaukee, and LeBron James was still in Miami. In a home game against the Heat in March 2014, Giannis and the Bucks were awful in the game, scoring just 67 points as a team and losing by 21 points on their own court. Giannis missed all five shots he took as the leading scorer from Miami was Chris Bosh with 14 points.

23. David Robinson

Best Game Stats: 71 PTS, 14 REB, 5 AST, 0 STL, 2 BLK, 8 TO, 63.4% FG, 50.0% 3P, 72.0% FT

Worst Game Stats: 0 PTS, 5 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 0.0% FG, 0.0% 3P, 0.0% FT

David Robinson is still, to this day, one of the most underrated big men in NBA history. He is one of the best two-way bigs of the last 50 seasons in the NBA and provided us with some amazing performances in his day. His best performance came on the final day of the season in 1994 with Robinson in contention for the scoring title against the Clippers. Robinson needed 65 points to secure the scoring title and went for 71 on the night in 44 minutes of action. He shot 26-41 from the floor and even knocked down one of his 25 career three-pointers as well. The Spurs won handily against Los Angeles, and Robinson was officially a scoring champ.

As great as Robinson was most of the time, his game began to get a lot uglier as he got older much as it does for most NBA stars at some point. In 2001, Robinson was basically sticking around to see if he could win one more championship before hanging up his shoes for good. As the starting center on a February night against the Mavericks, things didn’t go as planned. Robinson would see 21 minutes of action on this occasion and miss every shot he took from the floor. The Spurs would still pull out the win behind a big night from Tim Duncan with 28 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists, and 6 blocks. Robinson would capture another championship in 2003, promptly retiring after the series.

22. Elgin Baylor

Best Game Stats: 71 PTS, 25 REB, 1 AST, 58.3% FG, 78.9% FT

Worst Game Stats: 4 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 14.3% FG, 66.7% FT

Elgin Baylor is perhaps the greatest player to never win an NBA championship in his career. That doesn’t mean he didn’t have the chance to make a handful of Finals in his career and lose all of them to either Boston or New York. His greatest regular season performance in the third season of Baylor’s career against the aforementioned Knicks in Madison Square Garden. Baylor would deliver victory for the Lakers with 71 points and 25 rebounds on 28-48 shooting from the floor and 15-19 from the foul line. Jerry West also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the win.

There weren’t always big-time performances coming from Baylor. Like everyone eventually does, Baylor had a few games in which he went cold and failed on the national stage. In a rivalry game against the Boston Celtics in 1964, Baylor folded just three days after Christmas. The Lakers would end up being embarrassed by the Celtics 133-112 behind a near triple-double from Bill Russell and 20-point games from Sam Jones, John Havlicek, and Willie Naulls. Baylor went 1-7 from the field in this game, playing just 22 minutes and going 2-3 from the foul line.

21. Dirk Nowitzki

Best Game Stats: 53 PTS, 16 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL, 4 BLK, 1 TO, 46.9% FG, 40.0% 3P, 95.5% FT

Worst Game Stats: 2 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 12.5% FG, 0.0% 3P, 0.0% FT

Dirk Nowitzki is one of the greatest European players in the history of the NBA and a top 10 scorer in NBA history as well. Nowitzki would show his entire arsenal on both sides of the ball in his career-best game, which came in December 2004 against the Rockets. The Mavericks would pick up a big 7-point win over Houston in this one despite 48 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists from Tracy McGrady for Houston. Dirk would record a career-high 53 points and grab 16 rebounds to secure the win. The craziest part of this performance was his presence on defense. Never known as a defensive player, Nowitzki had 4 blocks and 3 steals on top of his historic offensive day as well.

Coincidentally, Nowitzki’s worst regular season game also came against the Houston Rockets in 2017. The jig was up right away for Dallas pretty much from the opening tip in this game, as the Rockets built a sizable lead behind James Harden. Nowitzki would play just 20 minutes on this night as a starter and record two points on 1-8 shooting from the floor and getting to the foul line zero times. Of course, all was forgiven because of what Nowitzki means to Dallas, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

20. Julius Erving

Best Game Stats: 45 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, 4 BLK, 5 TO, 50.0% FG, 0.0 % 3P, 76.5% FT

Worst Game Stats: 5 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 33.3% FG, 0.0% 3P, 0.0% FT

One of the most influential players in the history of the game due to his high-flying playstyle and swagger while doing it was Julius Erving. In November of 1980, Erving had the best game of his career in a game against a younger rival in Larry Bird, and the Celtics. Erving would help the Sixers down Boston with 45 points, 3 steals, 4 blocks, and 9 rebounds. Bird was incredible on the night as well, despite the loss with 36 points and 2 steals.

In defense of their 1983 NBA title, the 76ers got out to a 7-2 start in the 1983-84 season. Their 10th game would come against Dominique Wilkins and the Hawks. On this day, the Hawks would reign supreme picking up a 99-94 win behind 30 points from Wilkins. Erving would play just 28 minutes and shoot just 1-9 from the field in the contest.

19. Kevin Garnett

Best Game Stats: 42 PTS, 17 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 67.9% FG, 0.0% 3P, 81.8% FT

Worst Game Stats: 0 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 0.0% FG, 0.0% 3P, 0.0% FT

Kevin Garnett achieved legendary status for much more than just his skill on the basketball court. He was also one of the game’s most notorious trash-talkers, which helped him become one of the more feared players in the game. Garnett’s best performance came in his 2004-05 MVP season when he dropped 42 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in a loss to the 27-4 Phoenix Suns. Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Shawn Marion all went for 20 points or more in the 122-115 victory.

Garnett has had his fair share of bad games as well. Back in 1996, Garnett’s rookie season, he was still coming off the bench for the Timberwolves early in his career. Garnett would still see 20 minutes of action that night against the Knicks but miss all five of his shots from the floor, including an open three. The Timberwolves would drop the game 104-95 behind 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks from Patrick Ewing.

18. Dwyane Wade

Best Game Stats: 55 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 63.3% FG, 50.0% 3P, 84.6% FT

Worst Game Stats: 2 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 0.0% FG, 0.0% 3P, 100.0% FT

Dwyane Wade is one of the greatest two-way players and shooting guards that the NBA has ever seen. He made numerous iconic plays on both sides of the ball that will live on forever in NBA history throughout his 16-year career. Wade’s best regular season performance came in 2009 at home in Miami against the New York Knicks. In a 122-105 blowout, Wade went for 55 points on 19-30 shooting from the floor which included a scintillating 6-12 shooting from three. Wade’s double-nickel game was just one of many times he stuck it to the New York Knicks during his career.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N–wnQKTHrw

There were only three times in his career in which Dwyane Wade failed to record a single basket in a game. All three of those games with Wade seeing less than 20 minutes on the court, meaning they do not register here. Wade’s worst game with 20 minutes played came during the final season of his career in 2018 against the Phoenix Suns. With 21 minutes played in that contest, Wade went 0-6 from the floor and registered 2 points going 2-2 from the foul line. The Heat still defeated the Suns by 17 behind big performances from Justise Winslow and Bam Adebayo.

17. Moses Malone

Best Game Stats: 53 PTS, 22 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 63.3% FG, 0.0% 3P, 83.3% FT

Worst Game Stats: 1 PT, 12 REB, 0 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 0.0% FG, 0.0% 3P, 25.0% FT

Moses Malone is another one of the NBA’s greatest players who remains historically underrated and becomes increasingly so as time goes on. The three-time MVP was known for his rebounding and finishing skills around the rim during his 21-year career. Malone’s best performance came in his first of back-to-back MVP awards in 1982 and 1983 when he was still with the Houston Rockets. Malone decided to punish the San Diego Clippers on February 2, 1982, with 53 points and 22 rebounds on 19-30 shooting and 15-18 from the foul line. Malone and the Rockets defeated the Clippers by a score of 122-106.

The Washington Bullets were a powerhouse during the late 70s, built around one of the greatest frontcourts ever in Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes. Even Moses Malone had a tough time against this duo, and it was evident in his worst career game. In 28 minutes on the court, Malone would score just 1 point of 1-4 shooting from the foul line and 0-4 from the field. Malone did grab 12 rebounds in the game, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a 15-point win for the Bullets.

16. Karl Malone

Best Game Stats: 61 PTS, 18 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 80.8% FG, 0.0% 3P, 82.6% FT

Worst Game Stats: 2 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 4 TO, 0.0% FG, 0.0% 3P, 100.0% FT

Karl Malone is another forward on this list who can be considered one of the greatest players to never win an NBA championship. Forming an iconic duo with John Stockton, Malone helped lead the Utah Jazz during the 1980s and 1990s, claiming two MVP awards and three NBA Finals appearances in his career. In a game against the Bucks in 1990, Malone passed the 60-point mark for the only time in his career in a 48-point win. Yes, you read that correctly. Malone would play just 33 minutes of the game and shoot 21-26 from the field while grabbing 18 rebounds as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT7GUAKgKR4

Malone had his fair share of stinkers as well. In 1985, his rookie season, Malone and the Jazz took on the New Jersey Nets in their 27th game of the season. Malone would start and play 23 minutes but have the worst game of his career in the process. He would go 0-10 from the field on this night, which included a missed three-pointer mixed in. Malone and the Jazz would lose to the Nets thanks to a near triple-double from Micheal Ray Richardson and 24 points from Otis Birdsong.

15. Jerry West

Best Game Stats: 63 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST, 61.1% FG, 86.4% FT

Worst Game Stats: 2 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST, 11.1% FG, 0.0% FT

Jerry West had his fingerprints all over NBA history as a player, as the logo of the league, and as an executive. As a player, West was ahead of his time with his slick handles and sweet shooting stroke that would have been even deadlier had the three-point line existed. West’s best game as a pro came during the legendary 1962 season against the Knicks. West would have the only 60-point game of his career, finishing with 63 points on 22-36 shooting and 19-22 from the foul line. The Lakers would win by eight points and move to 34-13 on the year.

In his worst game ever, the Lakers would take on the Warriors led by Wilt Chamberlain. This game would be about Elgin Baylor and Chamberlain, who would each record 20-point, 20-rebound games. The Warriors would squeak out a two-point win which could have been L.A.’s win if West played any better. He shot 1-9 from the floor on this night, struggling to find a rhythm and help his team get a big win early in the year.

14. Oscar Robertson

Best Game Stats: 56 PTS, 9 REB, 12 AST, 51.5% FG, 95.7% FT

Worst Game Stats: 2 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 12.5% FG, 0.0% FT

Oscar Robertson is one of those players for whom it is tough to pinpoint a single greatest performance. We decided on the night he scored a career-high 56 points against the Lakers in 1964. Robertson got his 56 points by shooting 17-33 from the floor and an incredible 22-23 from the foul line while adding 9 rebounds and 12 assists. Robertson would lead the Cincinnati Royals to a win over the Lakers despite 66 combined points from Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.

Again, there aren’t many games to choose from that we could say were bad by Oscar Robertson. In his final season with the Bucks in 1974, Robertson turned in his worst performance with 2 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in 30 minutes against the Knicks. He shot just 1-8 from the field as the Bucks fell to New York, with franchise legends Dave DeBusschere and Earl Monroe each going for 20 points.

13. Kevin Durant

Best Game Stats: 55 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 4 TO, 67.9% FG, 80.0% 3P, 81.8% FT

Worst Game Stats: 4 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 11.8% FG, 0.0% FG, 0.0% FT

Kevin Durant is one of the most lethal scorers that the league has ever seen, with the ability to shoot efficiently from anywhere on the floor. He can take over a game in the blink of an eye and has done so on multiple occasions. Durant has a career-high 55-point game in 2022 as a member of the Brooklyn Nets against the Atlanta Hawks on the road. Durant would get his 55 points on 19-28 shooting overall, which included going 8-10 from three. Despite him and teammate Kyrie Irving combining for 86 points, the Nets still lost to Atlanta 122-115.

It is a rare occurrence to see Kevin Durant play 30 minutes of a game and not reach even 10 points scored. He is an unstoppable scorer, as evidenced by his four scoring titles. Well, as a rookie in 2008, he got an early lesson in humility. In a game against the Houston Rockets, Durant struggled mightily, going 2-17 from the floor and finishing with just 4 points in 35 minutes. Tracy McGrady led the way for the Rockets with 25 points in this one, who defeated Durant and the SuperSonics 79-66.

12. Hakeem Olajuwon

Best Game Stats: 52 PTS, 18 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, 3 BLK, 11 TO, 61.8% FG, 0.0% 3P, 76.9% FT

Worst Game Stats: 2 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 3 STL, 3 BLK, 1 TO, 20.0% FG, 0.0% 3P, 0.0% FT

Hakeem Olajuwon is widely regarded as one of the best defenders, rebounders, and big men to ever play the game of basketball. Offensively, he was incredibly skilled with his footwork in the post and his signature Dream Shake. On the night of his career-high 52 points against the Nuggets in 1990, this was on full display. Olajuwon dropped his 52 points on 21-34 shooting and 10-13 from the foul line in a loss to Denver, who were led by 20-point games from Fat Lever and Michael Adams.

In order to find a bad game from Olajuwon in which he also played 20 minutes, you would have to go back to the year 2002 when he played for the Raptors. In 20 minutes off the bench, Olajuwon went just 1-5 from the floor, and the Pacers stomped the Raptors out 98-82. No matter what, Olajuwon always made plays on the defensive side of the ball, as you can see with 3 blocks and 3 steals, even on his worst nights.

11. Wilt Chamberlain

Best Game Stats: 100 PTS, 25 REB, 2 AST, 57.1% FG, 87.5% FT

Worst Game Stats: 0 PTS, 14 REB, 4 AST, 0.0% FG, 0.0% FT

Wilt Chamberlain still holds more scoring records than any other player in NBA history and is the all-time leader in rebounds in NBA history as well. One of his many scoring records includes the infamous 100-point game that many for years have been trying to prove did not happen for whatever reason. In this 22-point win over the Knicks in 1962, Wilt went 36-63 from the floor as if his team just kept feeding him all night long, as he was notorious for playing close to 48 minutes every night.

Chamberlain only had one game in which he never scored a basket in his 13-year career and it came during one of his final seasons in the NBA in 1973. In a game against the Bucks and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt did not even attempt a shot or a foul shot, while the Lakers lost by one. Chamberlain would also have a 1-point game the following evening in which he grabbed 18 rebounds, but this time, the Lakers were victorious.

10. Stephen Curry

Best Game Stats: 62 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 5 TO, 58.1% FG, 50.0% 3P, 94.7% FT

Worst Game Stats: 3 PTS, 3 REB, 8 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 14.3% FG, 0.0% 3P, 50.0% FT

As we crack our top 10 players in NBA history, we reach the point where we are introduced to the greatest shooter in NBA history, Stephen Curry. Over the last decade, we have watched Curry take over the NBA and change the game with his ridiculous three-point range and efficiency. It is hard to believe that Curry joined the 60-point club just once in his career, and in 2021 at that. On this day, the Chef was cooking as he would knock down 8 threes on 16 attempts and 62 points overall and 18-19 from the foul line. Curry’s Warriors would win by 15 and Curry would go on to win a scoring title that season as well.

For the worst game of his career, we have to go back to when Curry just wasn’t Curry yet. In 2012, Curry shared the backcourt with Monta Ellis, and as we later learned, the two would bump heads down the line. In a 2012 game against the Kings, Curry would score just 3 points shooting just 1-7 overall and 0-3 from three-point land. It wasn’t the Curry stat line we are used to, and we gave him leniency because he was young and his situation was terrible at the time. However, it is his worst game as a starter by far in the regular season.

9. Tim Duncan

Best Game Stats: 53 PTS, 11 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 3 BLK, 6 TO, 67.9% FG, 0.0% 3P, 100.0% FT

Worst Game Stats: 2 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 0.0% FG, 0.0% 3P, 100.0% FT

Tim Duncan wasn’t known to be much of a scorer, even in his prime as the greatest power forward in NBA history. He only scored 40 points in a game five times in his career, including his only 50-point game in 2001 against the Mavericks. In this overtime thriller, Duncan would play 50 minutes and score 53 points on 19-28 shooting and a perfect 15-15 from the foul line. Duncan and the Spurs would lose this one in overtime behind Dallas’ big 3 of Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, and Michael Finley.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_zNuYK5ESg

For his worst career game, we have to go to the final season of his career in 2016. In a game also against Dallas, Duncan would register 21 minutes played and just 2 points on 0-4 shooting. Ironically, the Spurs would dominate Dallas by 29 points in the game, with LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard leading the way. It was a bittersweet foreshadowing into the remainder of the season for Duncan, who would walk away from the game after 19 seasons at its conclusion.

8. Shaquille O’Neal

Best Game Stats: 61 PTS, 23 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 4 TO, 68.6% FG, 0.0% 3P, 59.1% FT

Worst Game Stats: 4 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 66.7% FG, 0.0% 3P, 0.0% FT

At his peak, Shaquille O’Neal was the most dominant player in NBA history, leading the Lakers to three straight NBA titles from 2000 thru 2002 and claiming all three Finals MVP awards. O’Neal would have his best game on his birthday in 2000 against the Clippers, which he turned into a vengeance game. He used everything in the book to motivate him to a dominant 61-point, 23-rebound game on his birthday, including the Clippers staff giving him a hard time about tickets and Kareem sitting on the Clippers bench.

For O’Neal’s worst games ever, you would have to look at the times he was much older and chasing championships. The worst of them came from his time in Boston during the 2011 season against the Spurs. Shaq would play 21 minutes on the night and record just 4 points on 3 shots taken from the file for the entire game. The Celtics would still win the game, but O’Neal was declining rapidly before our eyes.

7. Larry Bird

Best Game Stats: 60 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 61.1% FG, 25.0% 3P, 93.8% FT

Worst Game Stats: 0 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 0.0% FG, 0.0% 3P, 0.0% FT

Larry Bird’s example of his best career game lets all of us know exactly how great he could be offensively if all he focused on was his scoring. The three-time MVP was in the midst of his second of three consecutive MVP seasons when he recorded the only 60-point game of his career against the Hawks in 1985. Bird torching the Hawks was nothing new, as he and Dominique Wilkins always battled when they faced each other. In this contest, Bird would go 22-36 from the floor and 15-16 from the foul line and defeat the Hawks by 11.

It was extremely rare for Larry Bird to go out and play more than 20 minutes and not impact the game in some way. During his second season in 1980-81, Bird would have one of these games where he shot 0-9 from the field and failed to record a single point in a loss to Golden State. Bird would have the last laugh as the Celtics would go on to win the first of three NBA titles Bird would win in Boston during his career.

6. Bill Russell

Best Game Stats: 37 PTS, 19 REB, 7 AST, 73.9% FG, 33.3% FT

Worst Game Stats: 1 PTS, 14 REB, 3 AST, 0.0% FG, 33.3% FT

I wish that someone would go back and record the defensive stats from Bill Russell’s era because I’m sure it would blow some people away. It would certainly make Bill Russell’s career-high 37 points look much better as the greatest defender and rebounder ever. Russell perfected defense and rebounding to the point he would become the winningest player in NBA history with 11 championships. As if there was no other evidence of it, Russell owned the Lakers during his career and did so again in a game in 1967 in which he shot 17-23 from the field, scored 37 points, and grabbed 19 rebounds to defeat them once more.

With Bill Russell, there were days when you had to take the good he provided everywhere on the court with how bad his shooting could be. Russell had one of these days in 1968 against the Hawks. The Celtics would annihilate Atlanta in the game 123-103, but Russell struggled. He would play 46 minutes and record just 1 point on 0-4 shooting. He did grab 14 rebounds which helped, but he didn’t need to do much in this one.

5. Kobe Bryant

Best Game Stats: 81 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 60.9% FG, 53.8% 3P, 90.0% FT

Worst Game Stats: 2 PTS, 0 REB, 3 AST, 4 STL, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 0.0% FG, 0.0% 3P, 100.0% FT

Kobe Bryant was a generational and global icon who captivated audiences for the span of two decades in his career. The former MVP and Finals MVP became a five-time NBA champion and one of the greatest players in NBA history with the Lakers from 1997 thru 2016. Kobe made NBA history in 2006 against the Toronto Raptors when he scored 81 points in front of his grandmother, who rarely attended games, at Staples Center. He shot 28-46 from the floor and 7-13 from three in a blowout win over Toronto.

When looking at Kobe’s career, the bad games really only came during the beginning and end of his career, with the middle being one of the best player peaks ever. In 1998, Kobe was still evolving into the Kobe we know today. In a 1998 game against the Jazz, Kobe played 27 minutes off the bench and went 0-4 from the field and 2-2 from the foul line. It was one of those normal games for him at the beginning of his career. I think he wound up making up for it in the long run, what say you?

4. Magic Johnson

Best Game Stats: 46 PTS, 10 REB, 9 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 47.2% FG, 0.0% 3P, 75.0% FT

Worst Games Stats: 1 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 0.0% FG, 0.0% 3P, 50.0% FT

Magic Johnson was a wizard on the court with seemingly 360-degree vision and total command of every move the Lakers made. Johnson would win five NBA titles with the Lakers during the 1980s and go to nine NBA Finals in total. Magic was only a scorer when he needed to be, evidenced by his six career 40-point games. His career-best 46 points came against the Kings in 1986, as he finished 1 assist shy of a triple-double. Johnson and the Lakers would win that game 127-117.

Magic’s worst game came back when he was a rookie during his 1979-80 season against bitter rival Larry Bird and the Celtics. Johnson struggled from the floor for over 21 minutes, aggravating a nagging injury at some point and having to be monitored closely. The Celtics would still lose 100-98 on this night, thanks to 33 points from Kareem. Magic added insult to injury when he went on to become the youngest Finals MVP ever that season with the Lakers’ first title since 1972.

3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Best Game Stats: 55 PTS, 17 REB, 3 AST, 63.9% FG, 81.8% FT

Worst Game Stats: 2 PTS, 7 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 14.3% FG, 0.0% 3P, 0.0% FT

The remainder of this list is virtually undisputable at this point, with the top 3 being solidified at this moment in time. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has watched his GOAT status slip over the last 30 years, but that doesn’t subtract from his body of work whatsoever. With the NBA record for MVP awards to his name, Kareem left his mark on NBA history, and it all started with the Bucks in 1970. During his second season, winning the scoring title in 1971-72, Kareem had the best game of his career when he dropped 55 points and grabbed 17 rebounds against the Celtics in a big win.

Kareem began to slow down right around the 1986-87 season but pushed through the 1989 campaign in his career. In 1988, the final championship season for the Showtime Lakers, Kareem would have his worst game as a pro, recording just 2 points in 1-7 shooting and zero trips to the foul line. The Lakers would lose this game to the SuperSonics but later reclaim their NBA championship with a win over the Pistons.

2. LeBron James

Best Game Stats: 61 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 66.7% FG, 80.0% 3P, 75.0% FT

Worst Game Stats: 4 PTS, 6 REB, 8 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 5 TO, 15.4% FG, 0.0% 3P, 0.0% FT

Arguably the greatest player of our generation, LeBron James has nothing left to prove in the NBA. With four MVP awards, four NBA titles, and four Finals MVPs, he is in rarified air as far as careers go. This makes it all the more surprising that James reached 60 points in a game just once in his career against the Bobcats in 2014. James would shoot 8-10 from three and 22-33 overall against the Bobcats on this night and have 61 points when it was all said and done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5PRGB1Khts

To find some of James’ worst performances, we have to travel back 20 years to when he was a rookie in Cleveland straight out of high school. In a December 2003 game against the Clippers, James would log 34 minutes but just 4 points on 2-13 shooting from the field. The Clippers would hand Cleveland a 90-80 loss on the evening. It is safe to say that James recovered from this performance tenfold in his career.

1. Michael Jordan

Best Game Stats: 69 PTS, 18 REB, 6 AST, 4 STL, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 62.2% FG, 33.3% 3P, 91.3% FT

Worst Game Stats: 2 PTS, 8 REB, 9 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 11.1% FG, 0.0% 3P, 0.0% FT

The greatest score that ever lived. The greatest player that ever lived. His Airness. Those are just three examples of monikers allowed to be assigned to Michael Jordan for his legendary career. Michael Jordan had a total of four 60-point games during the regular season in his career and is the all-time PPG leader for the playoffs and regular season. In a 1990 matchup with the Cavaliers, who Jordan tortured for most of his career, Jordan would drop a career-high 69 points. He shot 23-37 from the floor and even grabbed an insane 18 rebounds in a 4-point win.

The only way we can find Michael Jordan’s worst games is to turn to his Wizards years when he was pushing 40 years old. He had more than a handful of bad games, but his worst came against the Raptors in 2002-03. Jordan would go 0-9 from the floor in 40 minutes of play and score just 2 points in a win. Jerry Stackhouse was the one who bailed out his game with 28 points to down the Raptors, and Jordan could leave his abysmal game in the Great White North for good. 

We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.

Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.

Next

20 Greatest White Players In NBA History

The GOAT Of Every NBA Franchise

Ranking The NBA Players With The Most MVP Awards And Finals MVP Awards Combined: Michael Jordan Is The GOAT With 11