The 10 highest-scoring players in NBA regular-season history, ranked by total career points through the 2024-25 season.
Quick answer: 1. LeBron James, 2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 3. Karl Malone, 4. Kobe Bryant, 5. Michael Jordan, 6. Dirk Nowitzki, 7. Wilt Chamberlain, 8. Kevin Durant, 9. Shaquille O'Neal, 10. Carmelo Anthony.
Scoring is the oldest bragging right in basketball, and the all-time points list is its ultimate leaderboard. On February 7, 2023, LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's career scoring king, a record Abdul-Jabbar had held for nearly four decades. James kept adding to the mark through the 2024-25 season, finishing that year at 42,184 points and nearly 4,000 clear of second place. The list mixes eras and positions: 1960s giants like Wilt Chamberlain, 1990s workhorses like Karl Malone, and modern stars still adding to their totals. Kevin Durant is the only active player besides James in the top 10, sitting eighth and still climbing, with James Harden the next active scorer just outside the group.
The NBA's all-time leading scorer, James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in February 2023 and has extended the record every season since. He is the only player in league history above 40,000 points.
The scoring king for nearly 39 years, Abdul-Jabbar built his total on the unblockable skyhook. He led the NBA in career points from 1984 until LeBron James passed him in 2023.
"The Mailman" delivered for 19 seasons, almost all in Utah, pairing with John Stockton on one of the most productive duos ever. He remains the highest-scoring power forward in NBA history.
A 20-year Laker and five-time champion, Bryant scored 33,643 points, including a legendary 60-point finale. He ranked third on the all-time list at his 2016 retirement before later being passed by Karl Malone and LeBron James.
Widely regarded as the greatest scorer ever, Jordan won a record 10 scoring titles and retired with the highest career average in NBA history at 30.1 points per game.
A one-franchise legend across 21 seasons in Dallas, Nowitzki is the highest-scoring international-born player and the only member of this top 10 to spend his entire career with a single team.
The most dominant scorer of his era, Chamberlain once averaged 50.4 points in a season and scored 100 in a single game. He piled up 31,419 points in just 1,045 games.
The only active player besides LeBron James in the top 10, Durant is one of the most efficient high-volume scorers ever. He climbed to eighth during the 2023-24 season, passing Shaquille O'Neal, and kept adding to his total through 2024-25.
One of the most physically overpowering centers in league history, O'Neal was a four-time champion and 15-time All-Star. He finished his 19-year career with 28,596 points.
A prolific scorer for 19 seasons, Anthony reached the top 10 in career points before retiring in 2023. He remains one of the best pure isolation scorers the league has seen.
| # | Name | seasons | games_played | points_per_game | primary_teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LeBron James | 22 | 1562 | 27 | Cavaliers, Heat, Lakers |
| 2 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 20 | 1560 | 24.6 | Bucks, Lakers |
| 3 | Karl Malone | 19 | 1476 | 25 | Jazz, Lakers |
| 4 | Kobe Bryant | 20 | 1346 | 25 | Lakers |
| 5 | Michael Jordan | 15 | 1072 | 30.1 | Bulls, Wizards |
| 6 | Dirk Nowitzki | 21 | 1522 | 20.7 | Mavericks |
| 7 | Wilt Chamberlain | 14 | 1045 | 30.1 | Warriors, 76ers, Lakers |
| 8 | Kevin Durant | 17 | 1123 | 27.2 | Thunder, Warriors, Nets, Suns |
| 9 | Shaquille O'Neal | 19 | 1207 | 23.7 | Magic, Lakers, Heat |
| 10 | Carmelo Anthony | 19 | 1260 | 22.5 | Nuggets, Knicks, Thunder, Trail Blazers, Lakers |
Players are ranked by total regular-season points scored in the NBA (playoff and ABA totals are excluded). Figures are official career totals from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference, current as of the end of the 2024-25 NBA regular season (April 2025). Active players' totals continue to change; retired players' totals are final.
LeBron James. He passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on February 7, 2023, and finished the 2024-25 season with 42,184 career regular-season points, the most in NBA history and the only total above 40,000.
These are regular-season points only. Playoff totals are tracked separately; LeBron James is also the NBA's all-time leading scorer in the postseason, but those points are not counted in this list.
Yes. Durant passed Shaquille O'Neal for eighth on the all-time list during the 2023-24 season and reached 30,571 career points by the end of 2024-25, holding eighth place. He and LeBron James are the only active players in the group.
As of the end of the 2024-25 season, both sit just outside the top 10. James Harden was still active with 27,687 points, and Moses Malone finished his career with 27,409, both trailing 10th-place Carmelo Anthony's 28,289.