Top five all-time top scorers in NBA

LeBron James overtook the LA Lakers legend earlier this week to be the highest scorer ever.

Lebron James is officially on the top of the all-time scorers' list in the NBA. He topped the list after he dropped 38 points against Oklahoma City Thunders. The LA Lakers lost the match, making their season more and more miserable. Yet, it was King James who hogged the limelight on his historic achievement. 

Claiming the podium from another Laker legend, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, James became the third Laker in the top five list, joining KAJ and the late great Kobe Bryant. His achievement was immediately acknowledged by Jabbar himself who presented him with a basketball. 

James needed just 36 points against the Thunders to climb the summit. He started strong with a 20-point first half in front of a packed Crytpo.com crowd. In the third quarter of the match, James hit a fadeaway from the free-throw line to mark the end to all the anticipations. Almost after 39 years, KAJ has been dethroned. 

This calls for the list of all-time top scorers in the NBA to be rewritten.

5. Michael Jordan (32292)

Michael Jordan a.k.a. The Black Jesus is by far one of the fiercest winners the NBA has ever seen. Jordan was such a dominant force that he won three rings with the Chicago Bulls, retired, played baseball, then came out of retirement and won three more championships with the same team. 

Jordan scored 32292 points in 1072 matches and even in his last game for the Bulls, he dropped 45. While the highest scorer of all time is resolved, the Greatest of All Time will still be debated by the Jordan fans.

4. Kobe Bryant (33643)

It is only normal to see Black Mamba after Black Jesus. The world was definitely not ready to say goodbye to the only player who could see Jordan eye to eye on and off the court. The 18–time All-Star, helped the Lakers win five championships. 

He leads the chart for free throws by guards. Bryant scored 33,643 points in his career, made 8,378 free throws, and committed 4,010 turnovers. They are all firsts for his position. He played 1346 games with an average of 25 per game, unreal for a 6’6” guard in the age where basketball was dominated by the bigs.

3. Karl Malone (36928)

The Mailman always delivered. One of the best power forwards of all time, Karl Malone was a nightmare to defend against in a low block. Coupled with his accuracy from mid-range jumpers, Malone made Utah Jazz relevant with John Stockton.

One of the most divisive figures in the game, Malone scored 36928 points in 1476 games with an average of 25 per game. He joined the Lakers in his final year to make the Laker-Legacy even stronger. 

2. Abdul-Jabbar (38387)

An era of the NBA came to an end with the retirement of Jabbar. He finished the game at the top of the list of all-time leading scorers of the NBA with 38,387 points (24.6 ppg), 17,440 rebounds (11.2 rpg), 3,189 blocks, and a 55.9 field goal % throughout the course of a career spanning 20 years and 1,560 games. For 787 straight games, he scored 10 or more points. The Big A’s Skyhook was as inevitable as Thanos.

1. LeBron James (38390)

Since passing Kobe in 2020, it was just a matter of time before King James made it all the way to the top. A power forward with a point guard’s mobility, James has mastered the art of being a legend on both ends of the court. 

From insane handles and posters Shaq would be proud of, to clutch blocks in game 7 of the championships, James has done it all and more. Scoring at an average of 27.2 ppg with 7.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists, Lebron has surely made his claims to the GOAT debate, if not ended it.