List of NBA career scoring leaders

This article contains two charts: The first chart is a list of the top 50 all-time scorers in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The list includes only points scored in regular season games. The second chart is a progressive list of the leading all-time NBA scorers.^[1] LeBron James is the all-time leading scorer in NBA history.

Scoring leaders

The following is a list of the top 50 National Basketball Association players by total career regular season points scored.

Statistics accurate as of March 7, 2026.

^	Active NBA player
*	Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
†	Not yet eligible for Hall of Fame consideration^[a]
§	1st time eligible for Hall of Fame in 2026^[2]

Rank	Player	Pos	Team(s) played for (years)^[b]	Total points	Games played	Points per game^[c]	Field goals made	Three-point field goals made^[d]	Free throws made
1	LeBron James^	SF	Cleveland Cavaliers (2003–2010, 2014–2018) Miami Heat (2010–2014) Los Angeles Lakers (2018–present)	43,127	1,606	26.9	15,842	2,622	8,821
2	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar*	C	Milwaukee Bucks (1969–1975) Los Angeles Lakers (1975–1989)	38,387	1,560	24.6	15,837	1	6,712
3	Karl Malone*	PF	Utah Jazz (1985–2003) Los Angeles Lakers (2003–2004)	36,928	1,476	25.0	13,528	85	9,787
4	Kobe Bryant*	SG	Los Angeles Lakers (1996–2016)	33,643	1,346	25.0	11,719	1,827	8,378
5	Michael Jordan*	SG	Chicago Bulls (1984–1993, 1995–1998) Washington Wizards (2001–2003)	32,292	1,072	30.1	12,192	581	7,327
6	Kevin Durant^	SF/PF	Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder (2007–2016) Golden State Warriors (2016–2019) Brooklyn Nets (2019–2023) Phoenix Suns (2023–2025) Houston Rockets (2025–present)	32,111	1,182	27.2	11,083	2,329	7,616
7	Dirk Nowitzki*	PF	Dallas Mavericks (1998–2019)	31,560	1,522	20.7	11,169	1,982	7,240
8	Wilt Chamberlain*	C	Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors (1959–1965) Philadelphia 76ers (1965–1968) Los Angeles Lakers (1968–1973)	31,419	1,045	30.1	12,681	n/a	6,057
9	James Harden^	SG/PG	Oklahoma City Thunder (2009–2012) Houston Rockets (2012–2021) Brooklyn Nets (2021–2022) Philadelphia 76ers (2022–2023) Los Angeles Clippers (2023–2026) Cleveland Cavaliers (2026–present)	28,977	1,204	24.1	8,550	3,336	8,541
10	Shaquille O'Neal*	C	Orlando Magic (1992–1996) Los Angeles Lakers (1996–2004) Miami Heat (2004–2008) Phoenix Suns (2008–2009) Cleveland Cavaliers (2009–2010) Boston Celtics (2010–2011)	28,596	1,207	23.7	11,330	1	5,935
11	Carmelo Anthony*	SF	Denver Nuggets (2003–2011) New York Knicks (2011–2017) Oklahoma City Thunder (2017–2018) Houston Rockets (2018–2019) Portland Trail Blazers (2019–2021) Los Angeles Lakers (2021–2022)	28,289	1,260	22.5	10,119	1,731	6,320
12	Moses Malone*	C	Buffalo Braves (1976) Houston Rockets (1976–1982) Philadelphia 76ers (1982–1986, 1993–1994) Washington Bullets (1986–1988) Atlanta Hawks (1988–1991) Milwaukee Bucks (1991–1993) San Antonio Spurs (1994–1995)	27,409	1,329	20.6	9,435	8	8,531
13	Elvin Hayes*	PF/C	San Diego/Houston Rockets (1968–1972, 1981–1984) Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets (1972–1981)	27,313	1,303	21.0	10,976	5	5,356
14	Russell Westbrook^	PG	Oklahoma City Thunder (2008–2019) Houston Rockets (2019–2020) Washington Wizards (2020–2021) Los Angeles Lakers (2021–2023) Los Angeles Clippers (2023–2024) Denver Nuggets (2024–2025) Sacramento Kings (2025–present)	27,109	1,296	20.9	9,764	1,486	6,095
15	Hakeem Olajuwon*	C	Houston Rockets (1984–2001) Toronto Raptors (2001–2002)	26,946	1,238	21.8	10,749	25	5,423
16	Oscar Robertson*	PG	Cincinnati Royals (1960–1970) Milwaukee Bucks (1970–1974)	26,710	1,040	25.7	9,508	n/a	7,694
17	Dominique Wilkins*	SF	Atlanta Hawks (1982–1994) Los Angeles Clippers (1994) Boston Celtics (1994–1995) San Antonio Spurs (1996–1997) Orlando Magic (1999)	26,668	1,074	24.8	9,963	711	6,031
18	Tim Duncan*	PF/C	San Antonio Spurs (1997–2016)	26,496	1,392	19.0	10,285	30	5,896
19	DeMar DeRozan^	SG/SF	Toronto Raptors (2009–2018) San Antonio Spurs (2018–2021) Chicago Bulls (2021–2024) Sacramento Kings (2024–present)	26,454	1,251	21.1	9,468	657	6,861
20	Stephen Curry^	PG	Golden State Warriors (2009–present)	26,447	1,065	24.8	8,996	4,233	4,222
21	Paul Pierce*	SF/SG	Boston Celtics (1998–2013) Brooklyn Nets (2013–2014) Washington Wizards (2014–2015) Los Angeles Clippers (2015–2017)	26,397	1,343	19.7	8,668	2,143	6,918
22	John Havlicek*	SF/SG	Boston Celtics (1962–1978)	26,395	1,270	20.8	10,513	n/a	5,369
23	Kevin Garnett*	PF	Minnesota Timberwolves (1995–2007, 2015–2016) Boston Celtics (2007–2013) Brooklyn Nets (2013–2015)	26,071	1,462	17.8	10,505	174	4,887
24	Vince Carter*	SG/SF	Toronto Raptors (1998–2004) New Jersey Nets (2004–2009) Orlando Magic (2009–2010) Phoenix Suns (2010–2011) Dallas Mavericks (2011–2014) Memphis Grizzlies (2014–2017) Sacramento Kings (2017–2018) Atlanta Hawks (2018–2020)	25,728	1,541	16.7	9,293	2,290	4,852
25	Alex English*	SF	Milwaukee Bucks (1976–1978) Indiana Pacers (1978–1980) Denver Nuggets (1980–1990) Dallas Mavericks (1990–1991)	25,613	1,193	21.5	10,659	18	4,277
26	Reggie Miller*	SG	Indiana Pacers (1987–2005)	25,279	1,389	18.2	8,241	2,560	6,237
27	Jerry West*	PG/SG	Los Angeles Lakers (1960–1974)	25,192	932	27.0	9,016	n/a	7,160
28	Patrick Ewing*	C	New York Knicks (1985–2000) Seattle SuperSonics (2000–2001) Orlando Magic (2001–2002)	24,815	1,183	21.0	9,702	19	5,392
29	Ray Allen*	SG	Milwaukee Bucks (1996–2003) Seattle SuperSonics (2003–2007) Boston Celtics (2007–2012) Miami Heat (2012–2014)	24,505	1,300	18.9	8,567	2,973	4,398
30	Allen Iverson*	SG/PG	Philadelphia 76ers (1996–2006, 2009–2010) Denver Nuggets (2006–2008) Detroit Pistons (2008–2009) Memphis Grizzlies (2009)	24,368	914	26.7	8,467	1,059	6,375
31	Charles Barkley*	PF	Philadelphia 76ers (1984–1992) Phoenix Suns (1992–1996) Houston Rockets (1996–2000)	23,757	1,073	22.1	8,435	538	6,349
32	Robert Parish*	C	Golden State Warriors (1976–1980) Boston Celtics (1980–1994) Charlotte Hornets (1994–1996) Chicago Bulls (1996–1997)	23,334	1,611	14.5	9,614	0	4,106
33	Adrian Dantley*	SF	Buffalo Braves (1976–1977) Indiana Pacers (1977) Los Angeles Lakers (1977–1979) Utah Jazz (1979–1986) Detroit Pistons (1986–1989) Dallas Mavericks (1989–1990) Milwaukee Bucks (1991)	23,177	955	24.3	8,169	7	6,832
34	Dwyane Wade*	SG	Miami Heat (2003–2016, 2018–2019) Chicago Bulls (2016–2017) Cleveland Cavaliers (2017–2018)	23,165	1,054	22.0	8,454	549	5,708
35	Elgin Baylor*	SF	Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (1958–1971)	23,149	846	27.4	8,693	n/a	5,763
36	Chris Paul^†	PG	New Orleans Hornets (2005–2011) Los Angeles Clippers (2011–2017, 2025–2026) Houston Rockets (2017–2019) Oklahoma City Thunder (2019–2020) Phoenix Suns (2020–2023) Golden State Warriors (2023–2024) San Antonio Spurs (2024–2025)	23,058	1,370	16.8	8,165	1,870	4,858
37	Damian Lillard^	PG	Portland Trail Blazers (2012–2023, 2025–2026) Milwaukee Bucks (2023–2025)	22,598	900	25.1	7,266	2,804	5,262
38	Clyde Drexler*	SG	Portland Trail Blazers (1983–1995) Houston Rockets (1995–1998)	22,195	1,086	20.4	8,335	827	4,698
39	Gary Payton*	PG	Seattle SuperSonics (1990–2003) Milwaukee Bucks (2003) Los Angeles Lakers (2003–2004) Boston Celtics (2004–2005) Miami Heat (2005–2007)	21,813	1,335	16.3	8,708	1,132	3,265
40	Larry Bird*	SF/PF	Boston Celtics (1979–1992)	21,791	897	24.3	8,591	649	3,960
41	Hal Greer*	SG/PG	Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1958–1973)	21,586	1,122	19.2	8,504	n/a	4,578
42	Giannis Antetokounmpo^	PF	Milwaukee Bucks (2013–present)	21,420	891	24.0	7,856	557	5,151
43	Walt Bellamy*	C	Chicago Packers/Zephyrs/Baltimore Bullets (1961–1965) New York Knicks (1965–1968) Detroit Pistons (1968–1970) Atlanta Hawks (1970–1974) New Orleans Jazz (1974)	20,941	1,043	20.1	7,914	n/a	5,113
44	Pau Gasol*	PF/C	Memphis Grizzlies (2001–2008) Los Angeles Lakers (2008–2014) Chicago Bulls (2014–2016) San Antonio Spurs (2016–2019) Milwaukee Bucks (2019)	20,894	1,226	17.0	7,980	179	4,755
45	Bob Pettit*	PF/C	Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (1954–1965)	20,880	792	26.4	7,349	n/a	6,182
46	David Robinson*	C	San Antonio Spurs (1989–2003)	20,790	987	21.1	7,365	25	6,035
47	George Gervin*	SG/SF	San Antonio Spurs (1976–1985) Chicago Bulls (1985–1986)	20,708	791	26.2	8,045	77	4,541
48	LaMarcus Aldridge	PF/C	Portland Trail Blazers (2006–2015) San Antonio Spurs (2015–2021) Brooklyn Nets (2021–2022)	20,558	1,076	19.1	8,311	227	3,709
49	Mitch Richmond*	SG	Golden State Warriors (1988–1991) Sacramento Kings (1991–1998) Washington Wizards (1998–2001) Los Angeles Lakers (2001–2002)	20,497	976	21.0	7,305	1,326	4,561
50	Joe Johnson	SG/SF	Boston Celtics (2001–2002, 2021–2022) Phoenix Suns (2002–2005) Atlanta Hawks (2005–2012) Brooklyn Nets (2012–2016) Miami Heat (2016) Utah Jazz (2016–2018) Houston Rockets (2018)	20,407	1,277	16.0	7,823	1,978	2,783

Progressive list of scoring leaders

This is a progressive list of scoring leaders showing how the record increased through the years.^[1]

Progression of career scoring leaders

Joe Fulks held the career scoring record from the league's inaugural season in 1946 to 1952 and was the first player to eclipse 5,000 career points.

George Mikan held the record from 1952 to 1958 and was the first player to eclipse 10,000 career points.

Ed Macauley held the record for 39 days in 1958, the shortest in NBA history.

Dolph Schayes held the record from 1958 to 1964 and was the first player to eclipse 15,000 career points.

Bob Pettit held the record from 1964 to 1966 and is the first player to eclipse 20,000 career points.

Wilt Chamberlain held the record from 1966 to 1984 and was the first player to eclipse 25,000 and 30,000 career points. He played the fewest games to reach every point milestone from 1,000 to 31,000 in NBA history.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the record for 38 years, 10 months, and 2 days (14,187 days) from 1984 to 2023, the longest in NBA history. He is the first player to eclipse 35,000 career points.

LeBron James has held the record since 2023. He is the first player to eclipse 40,000 career points.

Statistics accurate as of March 6, 2026.

^	Active NBA player
*	Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Team abbreviations
ATL	Atlanta Hawks	DET	Detroit Pistons	MIL	Milwaukee Bucks	PHW	Philadelphia Warriors
BOS	Boston Celtics	FTW	Fort Wayne Pistons	MIN	Minnesota Timberwolves	PHX	Phoenix Suns
BUF	Buffalo Braves	GSW	Golden State Warriors	MNL	Minneapolis Lakers	SAS	San Antonio Spurs
CHI	Chicago Bulls	HOU	Houston Rockets	NOJ	New Orleans Jazz	SDR	San Diego Rockets
CHS	Chicago Stags	IND	Indiana Pacers	NOP	New Orleans Pelicans	SFW	San Francisco Warriors
CLE	Cleveland Cavaliers	KCO	Kansas City-Omaha Kings	OKC	Oklahoma City Thunder	STL	St. Louis Hawks
DAL	Dallas Mavericks	LAL	Los Angeles Lakers	ORL	Orlando Magic	SYR	Syracuse Nationals
DEN	Denver Nuggets	MIA	Miami Heat	PHI	Philadelphia 76ers	UTA	Utah Jazz

Scoring leader at the end of every season
Season	Year-by-year leader	Points	Active player leader	Total points	Career record	Total points	Single-season record	Points	Season
1946–47	Joe Fulks*PHW	1,389	Joe Fulks*PHW	1,389	Joe Fulks*PHW	1,389	Joe Fulks*PHW	1,389	1946–47
1947–48	Max ZaslofskyCHS	1,007		2,338		2,338	Joe Fulks*PHW	1,389	1947–48
1948–49	George Mikan*MNL	1,698		3,898		3,898	George Mikan*MNL	1,698	1948–49
1949–50		1,865		4,863		4,863		1,865	1949–50
1950–51		1,932		6,099		6,099		1,932	1950–51
1951–52	Paul Arizin*PHW	1,674		7,021		7,021			1951–52
1952–53	Neil Johnston*PHW	1,564	George Mikan*MNL	8,460	George Mikan*MNL	8,460			1952–53
1953–54		1,759	George Mikan*MNL	9,766		9,766			1953–54
1954–55		1,631	Max ZaslofskyFTW	7,902		9,766			1954–55
1955–56	Bob Pettit*STL	1,849	George Mikan*MNL	10,156		10,156			1955–56
1956–57	Paul Arizin*PHW	1,817	Ed Macauley*STL	10,150		10,156			1956–57
1957–58	George Yardley*DET	2,001	Dolph Schayes*SYR	11,764	Dolph Schayes*SYR	11,764	George Yardley*DET	2,001	1957–58
1958–59	Bob Pettit*STL	2,105		13,298		13,298	Bob Pettit*STL	2,105	1958–59
1959–60	Wilt Chamberlain* PHW 1959–62 SFW 1962–65 PHI 1965–66	2,707		14,987		14,987	Wilt Chamberlain*PHW	2,707	1959–60
1960–61		3,033		16,855		16,855		3,033	1960–61
1961–62		4,029		17,677		17,677		4,029	1961–62
1962–63		3,586		18,304		18,304			1962–63
1963–64		2,948	Bob Pettit*STL	19,756	Bob Pettit*STL	19,756			1963–64
1964–65		2,534	Bob Pettit*STL	20,880	Bob Pettit*STL	20,880			1964–65
1965–66		2,649	Wilt Chamberlain* PHI 1965–68 LAL 1968–73	21,486	Wilt Chamberlain* PHI 1965–68 LAL 1968–73	21,486			1965–66
1966–67	Rick Barry*SFW	2,775		23,442		23,442			1966–67
1967–68	Dave Bing*DET	2,142		25,434		25,434			1967–68
1968–69	Elvin Hayes*SDR	2,327		27,098		27,098			1968–69
1969–70	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar*MIL	2,361		27,426		27,426			1969–70
1970–71		2,596		29,122		29,122			1970–71
1971–72		2,822		30,335		30,335			1971–72
1972–73	Nate Archibald*KCO	2,719		31,419		31,419			1972–73
1973–74	Bob McAdoo*BUF	2,261	Oscar Robertson*MIL	26,710					1973–74
1974–75		2,831	John Havlicek*BOS	22,389					1974–75
1975–76		2,427		23,678					1975–76
1976–77	Pete Maravich*NOJ	2,273		25,073					1976–77
1977–78	George Gervin*SAS	2,232		26,395					1977–78
1978–79		2,365	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar*LAL	22,141					1978–79
1979–80		2,585		24,175					1979–80
1980–81	Adrian Dantley*UTA	2,452		26,270					1980–81
1981–82	George Gervin*SAS	2,551		28,088					1981–82
1982–83	Alex English*DEN	2,326		29,810					1982–83
1983–84	Adrian Dantley*UTA	2,418		31,527	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar*LAL	31,527			1983–84
1984–85	Michael Jordan*CHI	2,313		33,262		33,262			1984–85
1985–86	Alex English*DEN	2,414		35,108		35,108			1985–86
1986–87	Michael Jordan*CHI	3,041		36,474		36,474			1986–87
1987–88		2,868		37,639		37,639			1987–88
1988–89		2,633		38,387		38,387			1988–89
1989–90		2,753	Moses Malone* ATL 1989–91 MIL 1991–93 PHI 1993–94 SAS 1994–95	24,868					1989–90
1990–91		2,580		25,737					1990–91
1991–92		2,404		27,016					1991–92
1992–93		2,541		27,066					1992–93
1993–94	David Robinson*SAS	2,383		27,360					1993–94
1994–95	Shaquille O'Neal*ORL	2,315		27,409					1994–95
1995–96	Michael Jordan*CHI	2,491	Michael Jordan*CHI	24,489					1995–96
1996–97		2,431		26,920					1996–97
1997–98		2,357		29,277					1997–98
1998–99	Shaquille O'Neal*LAL	1,289	Karl Malone* UTA 1998–2003 LAL 2003–04	28,946					1998–99
1999–00	Shaquille O'Neal*LAL	2,344		31,041					1999–00
2000–01	Jerry StackhouseDET	2,380		32,919					2000–01
2001–02	Paul Pierce*BOS	2,144		34,707					2001–02
2002–03	Kobe Bryant*LAL	2,461		36,374					2002–03
2003–04	Kevin Garnett*MIN	1,987		36,928					2003–04
2004–05	Allen Iverson*PHI	2,302	Reggie Miller*IND	25,279					2004–05
2005–06	Kobe Bryant*LAL	2,832	Shaquille O'Neal* MIA 2005–08 PHX 2008–09 CLE 2009–10 BOS 2010–11	24,764					2005–06
2006–07		2,430		25,454					2006–07
2007–08		2,323		26,286					2007–08
2008–09	Dwyane Wade*MIA	2,386		27,619					2008–09
2009–10	Kevin Durant^OKC	2,472		28,255					2009–10
2010–11		2,161		28,596					2010–11
2011–12		1,850	Kobe Bryant*LAL	29,484					2011–12
2012–13		2,280		31,617					2012–13
2013–14		2,593		31,700					2013–14
2014–15	James Harden^HOU	2,217		32,482					2014–15
2015–16	James Harden^HOU	2,376		33,643					2015–16
2016–17	Russell Westbrook^OKC	2,558	Dirk Nowitzki*DAL	30,260					2016–17
2017–18	LeBron James^CLE	2,251	Dirk Nowitzki*DAL	31,187					2017–18
2018–19	James Harden^HOU	2,818	LeBron James^LAL	32,543					2018–19
2019–20	James Harden^HOU	2,335		34,241					2019–20
2020–21	Stephen Curry^GSW	2,015		35,367					2020–21
2021–22	Trae Young^ATL	2,155		37,062					2021–22
2022–23	Jayson Tatum^BOS	2,225		38,652	LeBron James^LAL	38,652			2022–23
2023–24	Luka Dončić^DAL	2,370		40,474		40,474	2023–24
2024–25	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander^OKC	2,484		42,184		42,184	2024–25
2025–26	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander^OKC	1,650		43,127		43,127	2025–26
Season	Year-by-year leader	Points	Active player leader	Total points	Career record	Total points	Single-season record	Points	Season

Notes

^ A player is not eligible for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame until he has been fully retired for two calendar years.
^ American Basketball Association (ABA) teams other than those admitted into the NBA in 1976 are not included; each year is linked to an article about that particular NBA season.
^ Rounded to the nearest tenth.
^ First adopted in the 1979–80 season.

References

^ ^a ^b "NBA Progressive Leaders and Records for Points". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
^ "2026 Hall of Fame Candidates". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2024.

External links

[elig-2] A player is not eligible for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame until he has been fully retired for two calendar years.

[4] American Basketball Association (ABA) teams other than those admitted into the NBA in 1976 are not included; each year is linked to an article about that particular NBA season.

[5] Rounded to the nearest tenth.

[6] First adopted in the 1979–80 season.

[Progressive-1] "NBA Progressive Leaders and Records for Points". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 6, 2021.

[3] "2026 Hall of Fame Candidates". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2024.

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