As Kevin Durant becomes just the eighth player to surpass 30,000 career points in NBA regular-season history, we decided to revisit the league’s all-time scoring leaders. This list focuses solely on regular-season performances and does not account for playoff contributions.
Table of Contents
Top 10 Players With the Most Career Points in NBA History
* Player still active
10. Carmelo Anthony – 28,289 points
Carmelo Anthony burst onto the scene with the Denver Nuggets, scoring 1,725 points in his rookie season. After spending seven and a half seasons in Denver, he moved to the New York Knicks, where he played until 2017. His career then took him through short stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets, followed by two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and a final run with the Los Angeles Lakers before retiring in 2022.
Like Shaquille O’Neal, Anthony played for six different teams but never secured an NBA championship. However, he was a 10-time NBA All-Star and remains one of the league’s most prolific scorers.
Over 1,260 career games, Anthony averaged 22.5 points per game.
9. Shaquille O’Neal – 28,596 points
Now a widely respected basketball analyst, Shaquille O’Neal enjoyed a legendary 19-year NBA career before stepping off the court. Playing for six teams, he secured four NBA championships, three NBA Finals MVP awards, and one NBA MVP award.
Shaq began his journey with four seasons at the Orlando Magic before an eight-year stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won three consecutive titles. He then spent three and a half years with the Miami Heat, adding another championship to his résumé. Short spells followed with the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics before he retired in 2011.
Across 1,207 career games, O’Neal maintained an impressive scoring average of 23.7 points per game.
8. Kevin Durant – 30,387 points*
One of only two active players in the top 10 alongside LeBron James, Kevin Durant continues to add to his scoring tally as a key player for the Phoenix Suns.
Durant spent nine seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder, solidifying his place among the NBA’s elite and twice averaging over 30 points per game in the regular season. However, it was during his three-year stint with the Golden State Warriors that he won his two NBA championships. In 2019, he moved to the Brooklyn Nets but missed the entire 2019-20 season due to injury. He returned in 2020, playing two and a half seasons for the Nets before joining the Suns in 2023.
Durant surpassed 1,000 career regular-season games in November 2023 and still has time to climb higher on this list. He reached the 30,000-point milestone during the Suns’ loss to the Grizzlies in February 2025.
7. Wilt Chamberlain – 31,419 points
A player of Chamberlain’s dominance holding so many NBA records makes it almost surprising to see him ranked seventh on this list.
Chamberlain’s career was defined by his incredible scoring ability and all-around dominance. He won two NBA championships, four NBA MVP awards, and one NBA Finals MVP. Playing for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Lakers, he set the all-time scoring record before Kareem Abdul-Jabbar surpassed him in 1984.
Among the top nine scorers in NBA history, Chamberlain played the fewest games (1,045). He remains one of only two players—alongside Michael Jordan—to finish his career with a remarkable 30.1 points per game average.
6. Dirk Nowitzki – 31,560 points
Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd once declared that Luka Dončić is the best player in franchise history, even surpassing Dirk Nowitzki. That’s high praise, considering Nowitzki ranks sixth on the all-time NBA regular-season scoring list.
The German legend spent his entire 21-season career with the Mavericks, playing 1,522 regular-season games after joining from DJK Würzburg in 1998. A true one-team player, he led Dallas to its first and only NBA championship in 2011, earning NBA Finals MVP honors. He was also named NBA MVP in 2007 and made 14 All-Star appearances.
With a career scoring average of 20.7 points per game—the lowest among players on this list—Nowitzki’s place here is a testament to his consistency and longevity. Time will tell if Dončić can one day join him among the NBA’s greatest scorers.
5. Michael Jordan – 32,292 points
How can the player widely regarded as the greatest of all time rank only fifth on this list? The answer lies in the number of games played—Jordan appeared in just 1,072 regular-season contests, at least 274 fewer than any of the four players ahead of him.
Jordan’s legendary career saw him win six NBA championships, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and five NBA MVP awards. He spent nearly his entire career with the Chicago Bulls before making a brief comeback with the Washington Wizards for two seasons.
Despite ranking fifth in total points, Jordan holds the highest career points-per-game average on this list (30.1). His most dominant season came in 1986-87, when he scored an astounding 3,041 points in 82 games, averaging an incredible 37.1 PPG.
4. Kobe Bryant – 33,643 points
All of the top four scorers in NBA history played for the Lakers at some point, but Kobe Bryant is the only one who spent his entire career with the franchise, dedicating 20 seasons to Los Angeles.
Like Karl Malone, Bryant finished his career with an impressive 25.0 points-per-game average. However, his legacy goes beyond scoring—he won five NBA championships, earned two NBA Finals MVP awards, and was named NBA MVP in 2008.
His most dominant scoring season came in 2005-06, when he amassed 2,832 points in 80 games, averaging an incredible 35.4 PPG.
3. Karl Malone – 36,928 points
A Utah Jazz legend and 14-time NBA All-Star, Karl Malone never won an NBA championship, but his scoring prowess was undeniable.
Spending 18 seasons with the Jazz, Malone earned two NBA MVP awards, proving many teams wrong for letting him slip to the 13th pick in the 1985 NBA Draft. The bulk of his points—36,374—came with Utah, before he added 554 more in a single season with the Lakers before retiring in 2004.
With a career scoring average of 25.0 points per game, Malone remains one of the most consistent and prolific scorers in NBA history.
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 38,387 points
Before LeBron James surpassed him, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the NBA’s all-time scoring record for nearly four decades, having claimed the top spot in 1984 and retaining it until his retirement in 1989.
A dominant force on the court, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships, earned six NBA MVP awards, and secured two NBA Finals MVP honors. He played in 1,560 games—second only to Robert Parish (1,611) in NBA history.
His scoring tally was split between the two franchises he played for, with 14,211 points coming during his six seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and 24,176 during his time with the Lakers. He finished his career with an impressive 24.6 points-per-game average.
1. LeBron James – 41,924 points*
LeBron James holds the record as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on February 7, 2023. He hasn’t slowed down since, reaching the 40,000-point milestone on March 2, 2024, during the Lakers’ loss to the Denver Nuggets.
The 39-year-old amassed 15,251 points in his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers before adding 7,919 with the Miami Heat over four seasons. Upon returning to Cleveland, he scored another 7,868 points, and his tally continues to grow with the Los Angeles Lakers.
James has played over 1,500 regular-season games and recorded more than 11,000 assists—far surpassing anyone else on this list and ranking fourth all-time. With no signs of retirement just yet, his final point total remains a mystery, but he continues to widen the gap at the top.
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FAQs
Who is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer?
LeBron James holds the record with 41,924+ points and counting, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in February 2023.
Which active players are in the top 10 for career points?
LeBron James and Kevin Durant are the only active players on the list, with Durant still climbing the ranks.
Who scored the most points in a single NBA season?
Michael Jordan recorded 3,041 points in the 1986-87 season, averaging an incredible 37.1 PPG.
Which player played the most regular-season games among the top 10?
Dirk Nowitzki played 1,522 games, spending his entire 21-year career with the Dallas Mavericks.
Who is the highest-scoring player without an NBA championship?
Karl Malone ranks third all-time with 36,928 points but never won an NBA title.
