Who has the most points in NBA history
James passed Abdul-Jabbar's 38,387 on February 7, 2023, and is the only player with 40,000. Three players have 35,000 (James, Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone) and eight have 30,000. All of the top 10 have won an MVP, as our history of the award shows. James and Abdul-Jabbar were No. 1 draft picks; Malone and Kobe Bryant, Nos. 3 and 4, were both taken 13th. Every total here counts NBA regular-season games only; ABA and playoff points come later.
NBA all-time scoring leaders: the top 50 in career points
Points and games come from Wikipedia's list of career scoring leaders, dated November 2, 2026. The league scheduled no games on November 3, and ESPN's records match the list to the point for all seven active players, so every total runs through games of November 2. We added seasons and NBA debut from each player's season-by-season record.
| No. | Player | Points | Games | Seasons | PPG | NBA debut |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LeBron James* | 43,537 | 1,628 | 24 | 26.74 | 2003-04 |
| 2 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 38,387 | 1,560 | 20 | 24.61 | 1969-70 |
| 3 | Karl Malone | 36,928 | 1,476 | 19 | 25.02 | 1985-86 |
| 4 | Kobe Bryant | 33,643 | 1,346 | 20 | 24.99 | 1996-97 |
| 5 | Kevin Durant* | 32,763 | 1,209 | 19 | 27.10 | 2007-08 |
| 6 | Michael Jordan | 32,292 | 1,072 | 15 | 30.12 | 1984-85 |
| 7 | Dirk Nowitzki | 31,560 | 1,522 | 21 | 20.74 | 1998-99 |
| 8 | Wilt Chamberlain | 31,419 | 1,045 | 14 | 30.07 | 1959-60 |
| 9 | James Harden* | 29,453 | 1,228 | 18 | 23.98 | 2009-10 |
| 10 | Shaquille O'Neal | 28,596 | 1,207 | 19 | 23.69 | 1992-93 |
| 11 | Carmelo Anthony | 28,289 | 1,260 | 19 | 22.45 | 2003-04 |
| 12 | Moses Malone | 27,409 | 1,329 | 19 | 20.62 | 1976-77 |
| 13 | Elvin Hayes | 27,313 | 1,303 | 16 | 20.96 | 1968-69 |
| 14 | Russell Westbrook | 27,176 | 1,301 | 18 | 20.89 | 2008-09 |
| 15 | Hakeem Olajuwon | 26,946 | 1,238 | 18 | 21.77 | 1984-85 |
| 16 | DeMar DeRozan* | 26,775 | 1,270 | 18 | 21.08 | 2009-10 |
| 17 | Oscar Robertson | 26,710 | 1,040 | 14 | 25.68 | 1960-61 |
| 18 | Stephen Curry* | 26,708 | 1,075 | 18 | 24.84 | 2009-10 |
| 19 | Dominique Wilkins | 26,668 | 1,074 | 15 | 24.83 | 1982-83 |
| 20 | Tim Duncan | 26,496 | 1,392 | 19 | 19.03 | 1997-98 |
| 21 | Paul Pierce | 26,397 | 1,343 | 19 | 19.66 | 1998-99 |
| 22 | John Havlicek | 26,395 | 1,270 | 16 | 20.78 | 1962-63 |
| 23 | Kevin Garnett | 26,071 | 1,462 | 21 | 17.83 | 1995-96 |
| 24 | Vince Carter | 25,728 | 1,541 | 22 | 16.70 | 1998-99 |
| 25 | Alex English | 25,613 | 1,193 | 15 | 21.47 | 1976-77 |
| 26 | Reggie Miller | 25,279 | 1,389 | 18 | 18.20 | 1987-88 |
| 27 | Jerry West | 25,192 | 932 | 14 | 27.03 | 1960-61 |
| 28 | Patrick Ewing | 24,815 | 1,183 | 17 | 20.98 | 1985-86 |
| 29 | Ray Allen | 24,505 | 1,300 | 18 | 18.85 | 1996-97 |
| 30 | Allen Iverson | 24,368 | 914 | 14 | 26.66 | 1996-97 |
| 31 | Charles Barkley | 23,757 | 1,073 | 16 | 22.14 | 1984-85 |
| 32 | Robert Parish | 23,334 | 1,611 | 21 | 14.48 | 1976-77 |
| 33 | Adrian Dantley | 23,177 | 955 | 15 | 24.27 | 1976-77 |
| 34 | Dwyane Wade | 23,165 | 1,054 | 16 | 21.98 | 2003-04 |
| 35 | Elgin Baylor | 23,149 | 846 | 14 | 27.36 | 1958-59 |
| 36 | Chris Paul | 23,058 | 1,370 | 21 | 16.83 | 2005-06 |
| 37 | Damian Lillard* | 22,714 | 906 | 14 | 25.07 | 2012-13 |
| 38 | Clyde Drexler | 22,195 | 1,086 | 15 | 20.44 | 1983-84 |
| 39 | Gary Payton | 21,813 | 1,335 | 17 | 16.34 | 1990-91 |
| 40 | Larry Bird | 21,791 | 897 | 13 | 24.29 | 1979-80 |
| 41 | Giannis Antetokounmpo* | 21,730 | 902 | 14 | 24.09 | 2013-14 |
| 42 | Hal Greer | 21,586 | 1,122 | 15 | 19.24 | 1958-59 |
| 43 | Walt Bellamy | 20,941 | 1,043 | 14 | 20.08 | 1961-62 |
| 44 | Pau Gasol | 20,894 | 1,226 | 18 | 17.04 | 2001-02 |
| 45 | Bob Pettit | 20,880 | 792 | 11 | 26.36 | 1954-55 |
| 46 | David Robinson | 20,790 | 987 | 14 | 21.06 | 1989-90 |
| 47 | George Gervin | 20,708 | 791 | 10 | 26.18 | 1976-77 |
| 48 | LaMarcus Aldridge | 20,558 | 1,076 | 16 | 19.11 | 2006-07 |
| 49 | Mitch Richmond | 20,497 | 976 | 14 | 21.00 | 1988-89 |
| 50 | Joe Johnson | 20,407 | 1,277 | 18 | 15.98 | 2001-02 |
Longevity or scoring rate: what built the top of the list
Split James's lead into its two parts and his higher rate, 26.74 points a game to Abdul-Jabbar's 24.61, accounts for 3,404 of the 5,150 points, or 66 percent. His 68 extra games account for the other 1,746. He ended 2024-25 with 42,184 points in 1,562 games, two more games than Abdul-Jabbar's whole career and 3,797 more points, and he broke the record in 1,410 games, 150 fewer than Abdul-Jabbar played.
Few players combine the two. The top 25's median is 1,270 games and 22.45 points a game, and only James, Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Bryant are above both. James alone is in the group's top five on both measures, first in games and fourth in rate. The others:
- Many games, lower rate (8): Dirk Nowitzki, Moses Malone, Elvin Hayes, Russell Westbrook, Tim Duncan, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Vince Carter.
- High rate, fewer games (8): Kevin Durant, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, James Harden, Shaquille O'Neal, Oscar Robertson, Stephen Curry and Dominique Wilkins.
- Below both (2): Hakeem Olajuwon and Alex English. Carmelo Anthony, DeMar DeRozan and John Havlicek sit exactly on a median.
Sorted by points per game, the 25 move an average of 4.7 places and only DeRozan stays put. Nowitzki falls from 7th to 20th and Abdul-Jabbar from 2nd to 10th; Robertson climbs from 17th to 5th. At James's 1,628 games, the career rates of Jordan, Chamberlain and Durant would give them 49,040, 48,947 and 44,118 points, as plain arithmetic.
Which decade produced the most top-50 scorers
By decade of NBA debut, the 2000s lead with 12 of the 50. The 1990s group stands out for games: 8 of its 10 players reached 1,300, against 9 of the other 40. It also scored the least per game, 20.14, and all 10 played in 1998-99, when teams averaged 91.6 points, the low of the 30 seasons since 1996-97.
| NBA debut | Top 50 | Top 25 | 1,300+ games | Average games | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 4 | 1 | 0 | 951 | 25.50 |
| 1960s | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1,191 | 23.07 |
| 1970s | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1,129 | 20.96 |
| 1980s | 10 | 4 | 2 | 1,155 | 22.52 |
| 1990s | 10 | 7 | 8 | 1,336 | 20.14 |
| 2000s | 12 | 7 | 3 | 1,248 | 21.56 |
| 2010s | 2 | 0 | 0 | 904 | 24.58 |
How the NBA scoring record changed hands
Wikipedia's progression names eight holders of the career record: Joe Fulks, George Mikan, Ed Macauley (for 39 days in 1958), Dolph Schayes, Bob Pettit, Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar and James. The key dates:
- April 5, 1984: Abdul-Jabbar passes Chamberlain's 31,419 and starts a 14,187-day run, the longest in league history.
- January 23, 2018: James becomes the seventh player with 30,000.
- February 7, 2023: James takes the record with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and finishes with 38 points and 38,390 for his career in a 133-130 Los Angeles Lakers loss.
- March 2, 2024: James reaches 40,000 against the Denver Nuggets.
- March 21, 2026: James plays his 1,612th game, passing Robert Parish for the most in league history.
Active NBA scoring leaders through November 2, 2026
Seven players on the list have played in 2026-27. In all six cases below James, the next player's total is final, so the target stays fixed.
| No. | Player | Team | Points | Next on the list | Points short | Games at career rate | 2026-27 PPG (games) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LeBron James | 76ers | 43,537 | Leads | - | - | 16.2 (6) |
| 5 | Kevin Durant | Rockets | 32,763 | Kobe Bryant | 880 | 33 | 20.8 (8) |
| 9 | James Harden | Cavaliers | 29,453 | Wilt Chamberlain | 1,966 | 83 | 16.3 (7) |
| 16 | DeMar DeRozan | Nuggets | 26,775 | Hakeem Olajuwon | 171 | 9 | 10.7 (6) |
| 18 | Stephen Curry | Warriors | 26,708 | Oscar Robertson | 2 | 1 | 30.0 (6) |
| 37 | Damian Lillard | Trail Blazers | 22,714 | Chris Paul | 344 | 14 | 19.3 (6) |
| 41 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Heat | 21,730 | Larry Bird | 61 | 3 | 28.4 (7) |
Curry is 2 points behind Robertson. Durant, the closest active player to James, is 10,774 behind: 398 games at his career rate, or 4.9 seasons of 82. Harden is 547 short of 30,000, which Durant reached in February 2025. Westbrook and Chris Paul have retired, so their totals are final too.
Highest career points per game in the NBA
Jordan's 30.12 (32,292 points in 1,072 games) is the career record, just ahead of Chamberlain's 30.07 (31,419 in 1,045); Guinness World Records counts players above 10,000 points. Only four of the list's top 10 are also in the top 10 for rate among these 50: James, Durant, Jordan and Chamberlain. Elgin Baylor is third in rate at 27.36 but 35th in points, with 846 games. Two active players outside the top 50 score at that level through November 2: Luka Dončić of the Lakers at 29.35 in 521 games and Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers at 27.53 in 496.
Why Julius Erving is not on the list: ABA and playoff points
The list counts NBA games only. Julius Erving scored 30,026 points in the ABA and NBA combined but 18,364 in the NBA, short of the 20,407 needed for this top 50. Counting both leagues he would rank ninth; Basketball-Reference keeps a combined list. Moses Malone has 29,580 with the ABA, against 27,409 here, and George Gervin 26,595, against 20,708.
Playoff points are a separate list too. Through the 2026 playoffs, James leads with 8,521 in 302 games, ahead of Jordan's 5,987, Abdul-Jabbar's 5,762, Bryant's 5,640 and O'Neal's 5,250. ESPN matches James's figure. Adding both, he has 52,058 NBA points.
LeBron James and the top scorers of 2026-27
James announced in July that he would sign with the 76ers after eight seasons with the Lakers, and this is his 24th season, the most in league history. Through his November 2 game against the Chicago Bulls he has 97 points in six games, 16.2 a game, below his lowest full-season average of 20.9. ESPN's leaders among qualified players through that date are Dončić at 38.3 points a game, Curry at 30.0 and Tyrese Maxey of the 76ers at 29.1. The NBA schedule lists the games left, and the NBA simulator plays out the season.
NBA career points leaders: frequently asked questions
Who has the most points in NBA history? LeBron James, with 43,537 regular-season points through games of November 2, 2026. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is second with 38,387.
How many points does LeBron James have? 43,537 in 1,628 regular-season games through November 2, 2026, plus 8,521 in 302 playoff games through the 2026 playoffs.
Who are the top 10 NBA scorers of all time? LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain, James Harden and Shaquille O'Neal.
Who has the highest career points per game in the NBA? Michael Jordan, at 30.12, just ahead of Wilt Chamberlain's 30.07.
How this was built: the top 50 is Wikipedia's list of NBA career scoring leaders (regular season, NBA only, 1946-47 to November 2, 2026). ESPN's API matched the seven active players and Russell Westbrook on the evening of November 4, before any game that day had finished. Seasons and debuts come from ESPN's or Wikipedia's season tables, whose games add up to the list's. James's lead is split at the midpoint of the two players' games and rates; holding either player's games fixed gives 65 to 68 percent for rate. Erving's NBA total was checked against StatMuse.