Kobe Bryant: How Does He Stack Up Against the Greatest NBA Scorers?
Its undeniable that Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest scorers to ever play in the NBA. But where he stacks up against the other greats in NBA history is the topic of fervent debate.
There is plenty of statistical evidence to consider. Total career points and points per game are considered. But there are things that don't show up on stat sheets. Players that score in the clutch and players with unstoppable moves get favor on this list.
Here are the 20 greatest scorers in NBA history. Where will Kobe land?
20. Dwyane Wade
1 of 20
Dwyane Wade can do a little bit of everything. For most of his career, the Miami Heat have asked him to do pretty much everything.
He's come through most of the time. Wade drives to the basket as well as anyone currently in the NBA and has enough of an outside shot to make him a legitimate threat.
His 34.7 points per game in the 2006 NBA Finals was magnificent.
19. Rick Barry
2 of 20
Who knows how many points Rick Barry would have scored had his career begun 10 years later. One of the great perimeter scorers the game has seen, he ended his career the same season the NBA introduced the three-point line.
He got to play some of his career in the ABA with a three-point line, but spent his prime in the pre-three-pointer NBA.
Barry's underhand free-throw shooting style helped him to a .900 career percentage, good for third all-time.
18. Carmelo Anthony
3 of 20
Carmelo Anthony's 24.7 career points per game average is currently good for 14th all-time. But that stat is inflated at this point since he is still in his prime and so many players behind him played past their primes.
The same can be said for several players on this list in terms of points per game.
But when Anthony decides he's going to score there is little his defender can do. He can shoot three-pointers, post-up or take someone off the dribble. "Transcendent" is often used to describe him as a scorer. Tough to disagree.
17. Charles Barkley
4 of 20
The Round Mound of Rebound could fill it up, too. Charles Barkley average more than 20 points per game for 11 straight seasons before going to Houston.
Barkley's scoring started much of the time with his rebounding. He is one of the best offensive rebounders in NBA history, averaging 4.0 per game for his career. That trails only Moses Malone and Dennis Rodman.
16. Adrian Dantley
5 of 20
Adrian Dantley is often a lost man in the NBA history. Is it because he bounced around the league for much of his career before landing in small-market Salt Lake City with the Utah Jazz?
No matter why he is often looked over, it's unjust. Dantley led the NBA in scoring in 1981 and 1984. He averaged 24.3 points per game in his career, good for a 16th place tie with Larry Bird.
15. Bob Petit
6 of 20
Bob Pettit was not only one of the most prolific scorers of the 50s and 60s but of all time. He averaged 26.4 points per game for his career which is seventh best all time.
However, Pettit played in an era that was just seeing Black athletes introduced to the NBA. It's hard to believe that he played against the same level of competition as those to come after him.
14. George Gervin
7 of 20
The "Iceman" averaged more than 30 points per game in two seasons. George Gervin led the NBA in scoring for three seasons from 1978-1980. His trademark finger roll is one of the iconic moves in NBA history.
At one time in his career, Gervin sat out three games with injury. Ron Brewer averaged more than 30 points per game in his stead. Gervin scored more than 40 points in his return.
He could turn it on whenever he wanted to.
13. Elgin Baylor
8 of 20
Elgin Baylor played forward despite being only 6'5". But it never stopped him from scoring. His 27.4 career points per game are good for fourth all time and his total points are 21st all time.
If it wasn't for his knees going bad and limiting him to 846 games, he could have been much higher on the all-time points leader list.
12. LeBron James
9 of 20
LeBron James' 2010-11 scoring average (25.6) is the lowest its been since his rookie season. But he is still one of the most dominant players the NBA has ever seen.
His career 27.7 points per game ranks behind Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan alone. James just hasn't done it long enough yet.
When he starts thinking about retirement in 10 years, he could be challenging to be one of the top-three scorers of all time.
11. Allen Iverson
10 of 20
The argument is often made that Allen Iverson is the best player in NBA history pound for pound. Scoring 26.7 points per game for his career at about 165 pounds is a remarkable accomplishment.
It's just too bad that Iverson's career took the strange turns that it did down the stretch. If he could have put the gambling and financial problems and ego aside, who knows what he could have accomplished.
On second thought, the ego might have been the reason he scored as much as he did.
10. Larry Bird
11 of 20
Has a player ever done more with less raw athleticism? Bird had one of the most deadly outside shooters in league history while scoring 24.3 points per game for his career.
Bird never faltered in the postseason. He was clutch. He won Boston games by willing the ball into the basket when the Celtics needed it most.
Back problems really slowed him down in his last handful of seasons.
9. Jerry West
12 of 20
You don't become the NBA's logo for nothing. You also don't get labeled "Mr. Clutch" for nothing.
Jerry West was a tremendous scorer that never faltered in the important moments.
In the 1965 Western Division Finals, West averaged a record 46.3 points per game with teammate Elgin Baylor injured.
8. Wilt Chamberlain
13 of 20
Wilt Chamberlain is the most dominant scorer in NBA history. That is evidenced by his 100 point game, his 50.4 scoring average during the 1961-62 season and his more than 31,000 career points.
But are stats the only thing to consider when ranking the greatest scorers of all time?
"The Stilt" didn't have to face many players his size. Today's big men see a seven-footer almost every game.
7. Pete Maravich
14 of 20
If nothing else, "Pistol" Pete Maravich is the most creative scorer in the ABA/NBA's history. He has been credited with inventing showtime basketball.
Maravich was before his time with his dribbling and passing. He could shoot from seemingly any range.
He averaged 24.2 points per game in an injury-shortened career.
6. Oscar Robertson
15 of 20
Oscar Robertson is in the top ten all time in both career scoring average and total points scored.
"The Big O" averaged more than 30 points per game in six of his first seven seasons thanks to his ability to score both inside and outside.
His revolutionary play helped develop the head fake and the fade-away.
5. Karl Malone
16 of 20
Karl Malone is the second-leading scorer in NBA history. He started his career as a powerful scorer and transformed himself into a finesse scorer with age.
But how much of his success should be credited to John Stockton? Or how much of Stockton's success should be credited to Malone?
No matter the answer, "The Mailman" always delivered.
4. Kobe Bryant
17 of 20
Kobe Bryant is already ninth on the all-time scoring list with presumably a few years left in his legs.
"Black Mamba" has a killer jump-shot that seems to only get better in the clutch. He is one of the most reliable postseason scorers of all time.
Think about the history of the NBA and try to find a player you would rather have taking the last shot of a tie game. Larry Bird? Maybe. Michael Jordan? Probably. Anyone else?
3. Shaquille O'Neal
18 of 20
Shaq has almost as many points as he has nicknames.
He's closing in on 30,000 career points and would be only the fifth player in NBA history to achieve that mark.
In his prime, Shaq was possibly the most unstoppable force in NBA history. His size and strength are the key to his success.
If only he would have figured out foul shots. He's missed over 8,000 free throws in his career while shooting just over 50 percent.
2. Michael Jordan
19 of 20
It's the Tongue, the clutch shooting, the high-flying dunks. Everything Michael Jordan did was iconic.
He is the standard by which basketball players are mostly judged.
Jordan is tied for best career scoring average at 30.1 points per game. His 33.4 points per game in the playoffs is best all time.
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
20 of 20
You just can't argue with 38,000+ career points. It's hard to see that number ever being touched. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored more for longer than anyone in NBA history.
His ambidextrous skyhook was indefensible. His post moves were precise and revolutionary.
Abdul-Jabbar was the ultimate finesse post scorer. He could get his shot just about whenever he wanted it and he did it for a really long time.
