The NBA Players With The Most Points In A Game At 40+ Years Old

When looking back on NBA history, there are very few performances by players over the age of 40 years old that are worth remembering. There have only been five times in which a player over 40 scored at least 30 points in a game and only 14 times that a player of that age scored at least 25 points.

As we look back upon the best scoring performances from the NBA’s elders, we can also look ahead and predict where LeBron James will inevitably fall on this list as he approaches 40 years old in December 2024, and is still playing at a high level. After all, he is chasing the player who dominates the top of the list.

1. Michael Jordan – 43 Points (40Y, 4 Days)

After unretiring in 2001-02 for the Washington Wizards and suffering an injury derailing his season, Michael Jordan returned for one last hurrah in 2002-03. On February 21 of that season, just four days after turning 40 years old, Michael Jordan led the Wizards to an 89-86 victory over the New Jersey Nets, making NBA history in the process. Jordan scored 43 points on 18-30 shooting from the field and 7-8 from the foul line. He added 10 rebounds and 4 steals as well.

2. Michael Jordan – 39 Points (40Y, 20 Days)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc8tewsEy1Y

Just 16 days after his record-setting performance against the Nets, Jordan descended on New York’s Madison Square Garden for the last time against the New York Knicks. Among many historic moments Jordan has in the building is this final game performance. Although the Wizards dropped a tough 87-86 game, Jordan erupted for 39 points on 13-22 shooting from the floor and 13-15 from the foul line, leaving Knicks fans with a farewell performance to remember him by. It was Jordan’s fourth 30-point game in 16 days.

3. Michael Jordan – 35 Points (40Y, 10 Days)

Just six days after his record-setting performance in New Jersey, Michael Jordan made another run at the record he eventually surpassed against the Knicks. In a February 27 matchup with the Houston Rockets, Jordan led the Wizards to a 100-98 win with 35 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. Jordan shot 15-26 from the field and just 5-7 from the foul line for the 28-29 Wizards at the time.

T4. Michael Jordan – 30 Points (40Y, 6 Days)

Michael Jordan’s next highest-scoring performance was a part of his torrid 16-day stretch that saw him record four 30-point games and a 40-point game after turning 40 in 2003. Going up against an extremely talented Dallas Mavericks team, Jordan went for 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals on 15-26 shooting from the field. Teammate Jerry Stackhouse also added 30 points but the Wizards would fall to the Mavericks, 106-101.

T4. Dirk Nowitzki – 30 Points (40Y, 294 Days)

Dirk Nowitzki is the only player not named Michael Jordan to score 30 points in a game after turning 40 years old. In the final home game of his career against the Phoenix Suns, the Mavericks did all they could to feed their franchise legend into the history books. In a 120-109 victory, Nowitzki played 33 minutes, shot 11-31 from the field and 5-14 from three to record 30 points in the win.

T6. Michael Jordan – 27 Points (40Y, 18 Days)

The NBA record before Michael Jordan’s final run during the 2002-03 season was 27 points set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1987. From the time he turned 40, Jordan would match or surpass that total in a game five times in two months of play. One of the final times he would reach this milestone was March 7, 2003, in a three-point loss to the Bucks. Jordan shot just 11-24 from the field for a total of 27 points with 9 rebounds and 2 steals.

T6. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 27 Points (40Y, 229 Days)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the record for most points scored in a game by a player 40 years or older for 16 years until Jordan returned to the Wizards in 2002-03. That record-setting performance came in a game between Kareem’s Lakers and the Sacramento Kings in December 1987. In a five-point win, Kareem led all scorers with 27 points on 11-21 shooting to go with 9 rebounds.

T8. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 26 Points (40Y, 225 Days)

There are seven different times in which a player over 40 years old recorded 26 points in a game in NBA history. The first time this occurred was a new NBA record set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar until he broke it himself four days later. In a 127-119 win over the Nuggets in Los Angeles, Kareem led the Lakers with 26 points on 11-19 shooting. This stood for the second-highest scoring mark in NBA history by a 40-year-old for 15 years, only to be matched by four other players.

T8. Robert Parish – 26 Points (40Y, 79 Days)

The first player to match the 26-point mark by a 40-year-old would be Robert Parish at the beginning of the 1993-94 season. Heading into his 18th NBA season and 14th with the Celtics, Parish had some moments to remember. On this November 1993 night against the Nets, Parish would lead the Celtics to victory with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks. He shot an efficient 12-14 from the floor while still able to make an impact on both sides of the ball in victory.

T8. Robert Parish – 26 Points (40Y, 139 Days)

Just two months after his previous 26-point performance of the 1993-94 season, Robert Parish would have a repeat in a game against the Denver Nuggets. Once again, Parish led the Celtics to a 105-100 win, going for 26 points and 9 rebounds on 11-22 shooting from the field. Parish would finish the season with the Celtics averaging 11.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, putting an end to a legendary career in Boston.

T8. John Stockton – 26 Points (40Y, 18 Days)

After Parish in 1993-94, no NBA player 40 years or older had reached the 26-point mark in a game. That is until John Stockton of the Utah Jazz’s second-to-last season in the NBA in 2001-02. Just two-plus weeks after his 40th birthday, Stockton had a legendary performance in a 109-101 win over the Golden State Warriors on the road. Stockton led the Jazz with 26 points along with 9 assists and 4 steals on an efficient 7-11 shooting and 12-12 from the foul line.

T8. Michael Jordan – 26 Points (40Y, 37 Days)

There would be two instances during Jordan’s final season in 2002-03 in which he dropped exactly 26 points. The first of these games would come in a close matchup with the Seattle SuperSonics. In a duel between himself and a young Ray Allen, Jordan prevailed with 26 points and 10 rebounds on 12-22 shooting from the field. Allen had just 17 points as the Wizards won 80-74.

T8. Michael Jordan – 26 Points (40Y, 50 Days)

The next time Jordan would go for exactly 26 points that season would be just two weeks later against an old nemesis. In one of the many times that Michael Jordan took down the Cleveland Cavaliers in his career, he went for 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 steals on 10-19 shooting on April 8, 2003, in a 100-91 win as well. It would be the final of 42 career victories Jordan would have against Cleveland.

T8. Manu Ginobili – 26 Points (40Y, 163 Days)

After Jordan’s final 26-point game in 2003, it would be 15 years before another 40-year-old reached the mark in the NBA. The player to reach that mark would be Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs in his 16th and final season. In a January game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Ginobili would have 26 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 27 minutes off the bench in a devastating 111-110 loss. The performance was vintage Ginobili and one last reminder of the legacy he was leaving behind.

LeBron James Will Join This List Next Season

At the age of 39, LeBron James has proven he is still amongst the NBA’s elite players, averaging 24.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.7 assists through 44 games played this season. He has already recorded one 40-point game, five 35-point games, and 12 30-point games. Now, of course, LeBron does not turn 40 until December 30, 2024, but we can assume if he is still playing at this level now, he will be in a position to challenge for not one but multiple spots on the list above.

Only time will tell what kind of shape and motivation LeBron James is heading into his 22nd season in 2024-25. Once he sees the names he is chasing on this list, along with playing with his son, it may motivate him to find another gear just one more time before saying goodbye.