Players keep pushing the limit of what is possible in the NBA as records are set and more are broken. LeBron James recently set a new record as the first NBA player to score 40,000 points in a game against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, March 2, 2024. This monumental achievement prompted us to list the top five NBA players with the highest career points. Let’s dive in.
5. MICHAEL JORDAN – 32,292
Coming in fifth is His Airness, the GOAT Michael Jordan. Jordan has a total point of 32,292 for his 13-season-long career across 1072 games. It’s quite impressive seeing as he did it in just 13 seasons and with fewer games played than everybody in the top 13.
4. KOBE BRYANT- 33,643
The Black Mamba comes in fourth with 33,643 points over 1,346 games in his 20-season NBA career averaging 25 points per game. Bryant ended his career with five championship rings, one NBA MVP award, and two NBA finals awards.
3. KARL MALONE – 36,928
Probably the least famous person on this list due to his lack of championship rings, the Utah Jazz legend and 14-time NBA All-Star Karl Malone is third with 36,928 points over 1,476 games in his 19 seasons for the Utah Jazz and the Lakers.
He ended his career with an average of 25 points per game. His lack of championship rings was not due to a lack of scoring.
2. KAREEM ABDUL JABBAR – 38,387
Kareem held the title for most points scored in the NBA since 1984 before his retirement in 1989. The man scored 38,387 points in 1560 games over the course of his career and held the record until February 7, 2023, when it was broken by LeBron James pushing him to second.
He scored 14,211 points for the Milwaukee Bucks and 24,176 points for the Lakers, ending his career with a healthy average of 24.6 points per game.
1. LeBRON JAMES – 40,067 points and counting
image source: NBA on X
James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record in February 2023 and has been racking up more points. He recently crossed the 40,000-point mark to become the first NBA player to score 40,000 points in his career. We don’t know how many points James will end up getting yet as he is still playing actively in the NBA with no hint of retiring soon.
The 39-year-old scored 23,119 points over his two spells with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He scored 7,919 for the Miami Heat and currently has 9,029 points and counting for the Lakers. He is the only active player on this list; a testament to his longevity and consistency.