Last season, LeBron James passed Karl Malone to move up to second on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
In the midst of his 20th season in the league, there is only one more player James has to track down to become the league’s all-time leading scorer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Abdul-Jabbar has been the NBA’s all-time leading scorer since 1989, a record that has stood for 33 years and counting.
At Lakers Media Day heading into the 2022-23 season, James spoke on what it would mean to him to earn that record.
“The only time I’ve thought about it is when someone posts it on social and I scroll through my feed and see it,” James said. “Every single time I’m kind of in awe of it. Like, wow. …
“To sit here and to know I’m on the verge of breaking probably the most sought-after record in the NBA — things that people say would probably never be done — it’s super humbling for myself and super cool.”
LeBron talks about potentially passing Kareem as the NBA all-time leading scorer this season.#NBAMediaDay pic.twitter.com/IyyGpQsR1f
— NBA (@NBA) September 26, 2022
James trails Abdul-Jabbar by 629 points, meaning he will almost certainly take the NBA’s scoring crown at some point this season.
You can find the NBA’s all-time scoring list below, highlighted by three active players who are looking to climb the ranks this season: James, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant.
Vote now for your favorite NBA All-Star starters!
Which players are top 25 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list?
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 38,387 |
| 2. | LeBron James | 37,758 |
| 3. | Karl Malone | 36,928 |
| 4. | Kobe Bryant | 33,643 |
| 5. | Michael Jordan | 32,292 |
| 6. | Dirk Nowitzki | 31,560 |
| 7. | Wilt Chamberlain | 31,419 |
| 8. | Shaquille O’Neal | 28,596 |
| 9. | Carmelo Anthony | 28,289 |
| 10. | Moses Malone | 27,409 |
| 11. | Elvin Hayes | 27,313 |
| 12. | Hakeem Olajuwon | 26,946 |
| 13. | Oscar Robertson | 26,710 |
| 14. | Dominique Wilkins | 26,668 |
| 15. | Tim Duncan | 26,496 |
| 16. | Kevin Durant | 26,484 |
| 17. | Paul Pierce | 26,397 |
| 18. | John Havlicek | 26,395 |
| 19. | Kevin Garnett | 26,071 |
| 20. | Vince Carter | 25,728 |
| 21. | Alex English | 25,613 |
| 22. | Reggie Miller | 25,279 |
| 23. | Jerry West | 25,192 |
| 24. | Patrick Ewing | 24,815 |
| 25. | Ray Allen | 24,505 |
Which players are top 25 on the NBA’s all-time points per game list?
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Michael Jordan | 30.12 |
| 2. | Wilt Chamberlain | 30.07 |
| 3. | Elgin Baylor | 27.36 |
| 4. | Kevin Durant | 27.27 |
| 5. | LeBron James | 27.14 |
| 6. | Jerry West | 27.03 |
| 7. | Allen Iverson | 26.66 |
| 8. | Bob Pettit | 26.36 |
| 9. | George Gervin | 26.18 |
| 10. | Oscar Robertson | 25.68 |
| 11. | Karl Malone | 25.02 |
| 12. | Kobe Bryant | 24.99 |
| 13. | James Harden | 24.86 |
| 14. | Dominique Wilkins | 24.83 |
| 15. | Damian Lillard | 24.72 |
| 16. | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 24.61 |
| 17. | Stephen Curry | 24.46 |
| 18. | Larry Bird | 24.29 |
| 19. | Adrian Dantley | 24.27 |
| 20. | Pete Maravich | 24.24 |
| 21. | Anthony Davis | 23.97 |
| 22. | Devin Booker | 23.72 |
| 23. | Shaquille O’Neal | 23.69 |
| 24. | Rick Barry | 23.17 |
| 25. | Kyrie Irving | 23.16 |
* Bolded italics indicates active players
