Preface:
Regardless of the era, for NBA players to be considered top scorers, averaging 20 points per game is definitely a threshold. In the past 75 years, many players have averaged 20 points per game in a single season, such as the derided former James "big brother" Ricky Davis, who averaged 20.6 points per game. However, a short performance doesn't tell the story, and only 20 points in consecutive years and multiple games can be considered an all-time scorer. In NBA history, only five players have scored 20 points or more in more than 900 games in their careers. Kevin Durant is currently the sixth player to potentially enter the ranks, with 805 games he played, and the 34-year-old is bound to achieve this achievement as long as he stays healthy. Let's take a look at who these 5 players are at the moment!
Fifth: Michael Jordan 926 games
Compared with other historical superstars, Jordan has only played 15 seasons in the NBA, which is a relatively short career, but Jordan can be called the "god of basketball" because he is more powerful than all NBA players. In a total of 1,072 appearances, Jordan has scored at least 20 points in 926 games, and the average is the first in the NBA at 30.1 points per game, Jordan's greatness is beyond doubt. Moreover, if it were not for the 2 retirements in the middle, coupled with the fact that he would often clock in early and leave work early when the victory or defeat had been divided, he would definitely not have only 926 games, after all, the ten most scoring championships in NBA history are incomparable to any star.
Fourth: Kobe Bryant 941
As the NBA's greatest shooting guard after Jordan, Kobe Bryant has always been regarded as Jordan's best successor. Although compared with Jordan, Kobe has only 2 scoring champions in his career, but his explosive power and offensive ability are not weaker than the great Jordan, especially in the relatively slow offensive pace of the 05-06 season, Kobe can average 35.4 points per game and contribute a single 81-point performance, which is enough to prove his strong strength. In 941 games, Bryant was able to score 20 points, and this was based on his early career disuse and major Achilles tendon rupture, if Kobe had not suffered a cliff decline, he could have reached the 1,000 mark. However, although there are certain regrets, this does not prevent fans and the media from recognizing Kobe's greatness.
Third place: Karim Jabbar 1122 games
In third place is Karim Jabbar, one of the NBA's most famous living fossils. Abdul-Jabbar, who has played in the NBA for 20 years, although he does not have the terrifying offensive dominance of Wilt Chamberlain, nor the ultimate team and defensive ability like Russell, he has achieved a balance between attack and defense, and has scored the most 38,387 points in NBA history with a beautiful hook. As a young man, Abdul-Jabbar, whether in the Bucks or the Lakers, was the team's first choice on offense, as evidenced by his two career scoring championships. And Abdul-Jabbar also sacrificed the ball for the championship after "Magic" Johnson, James Worthy and others entered the NBA, perhaps his number of games should not be limited to 1122 games. However, the six MVP trophies that are the first and most scored in NBA history all tell the legend of Abdul-Jabbar.
Second place: Karl Malone 1134 games
For Malone, his entire NBA career is tragic, reaching the Finals three times in his career, but regretting missing out on the championship, for Ma Long, who has a 19-year NBA career, it is definitely a big regret, after all, he has all the honors including MVP, best team, All-Star, and only a golden championship trophy. In addition, if it were not for the shrinkage of the 98-99 season, perhaps with Malone's form at the time, it is very likely to break Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record before the end of his career. However, in this record, Malone still pushed everyone to the top, and was only recently overtaken by James. Averaging 25 points and 10.1 rebounds per game in his career, without Duncan's sideways, even without a championship, Malone may be the best choice for the No. 1 forward in history.
First place: LeBron James 1135 games
Although the Lakers have not performed well this season, for fans, James' continuous record setting may be their greatest comfort. Although he has only been a scoring champion once in his career, James has always been able to rank at the top of the scoring list every season, and he still has 30.3 points at the age of 37 last season. In addition, he has made 1370 appearances so far in his career and can score 20+ points in 1135 games, which is enough to prove James' offensive ability and dominance. Surpassing Malone is now the first in history, but for James, this is just a starting point, and he is fully capable of taking this game to a more difficult level to be broken.