Bryant, Durant, James and Jordan and the 31 Highest Scoring Individual Seasons

There have been some awesome scorers in NBA history. In each era there were great scorers, regardless of the defense or era or competition.

The greatest scorers ever would score at a high clip no matter what era they played in.

Of the top 31 individual scoring seasons by an NBA player for total points in a season only five players account for 20 of the 31 greatest scoring seasons ever.

Michael Jordan (7), Wilt Chamberlain (7), George Gervin (2), Elgin Baylor (2), and Kareem Abdul Jabbar (2).

The rest of the 11 top scoring seasons came by 11 different guys, who either had one great year or lingered near elite scoring levels for a long time.

These are therefore the 16 greatest scorers ever. IN PARENTHESIS (2) IS HOW MANY TIMES THE PLAYER SHOWED UP ON THE 31 SINGLE MOST POINTS SCORED IN A SEASON LIST.

#16: Nate Archibald (1)

He was barely 6', and that was with shoes on, so 'Tiny' is easily one of the top scorers of all time. He was actually a multi purpose guard who is still to this day the only player ever to lead the NBA in scoring and assists in the same season. Also, this UTEP product, led the early 80's Celtics to a title as PG.

15 Walt Bellamy (1)

This guy went off for 34 ppg as a freakin rookie. He is an astonishing all-time elite player who gets zero respect from today's fans.

14 LeBron James (1)

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NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 03: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat dunks against the New Jersey Nets at the Prudential Center on April 3, 2011 in Newark, New Jersey.NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photogr

Youngest player ever to reach so many scoring milestones, and, of course, he ain't done yet, not by any stretch of the imagination.

13 Kobe Bryant (1)

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 04: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots over Jason Kidd #2 of the Dallas Mavericks in the second quarter in Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center on May 4, 2011 in Los

Out of the 31 highest total points scored by an individual in a single season in the NBA, Kobe Bryant has one season on the list. He scored 81 points against the Raptors that season and he led the league in scoring two times.  

12 Kevin Durant (1)

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PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 30: Kevin Durant #35 of the Oklahoma City Thunder hanldes the ball during the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center on March 30, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Thunder defeated the Suns 116-98. NOTE TO USER: User exp

Already a two-time leading scorer and he is only 22. This guy can score from anywhere better and faster than KB or LBJ did by age 22.

11 Jerry West (1)

West may just be the greatest clutch shooter in LA history. Our generation didn't get to watch him but if we go by historic consensus West is one of the best of all time. He is the logo and that says something.

10 Moses Malone (1)

Malone is probably the most underrated scorer of all time, but this big man should not have had what it takes to score, but he scored all the time and easily while shooting high fg%, which I will take over a gunslinger anyday of the year.

9 Karl Malone (1)

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29 Dec 2000: Karl Malone #32 of the Utah Jazz leaps for the basket as he is double teammed by Larry Hughes #20 and Marc Jackson #44 of the Golden State Warriors at The Arena of Oakland in California. The Warriors defeated the Jazz 100-89. NOTE TO USE

One of the most dismissed great scorers of all-time. Malone put up points at over 50% for almost 20 seasons. A true scorer deluxe!

8 Rick Barry (1)

This masterful and true pro scorer electrified the basketball world with his on-target displays for an entrie career.

7 Bob McAdoo (1)

This pf/sf set the standard for high scoring forwards and he was relentless in his approach to making baskets.

6 Oscar Robertson (1)

Scored over 30 and still had tons of triple doubles, which is way better than just a scorer.

5 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2)

Two of the 31 top total point seasons by a player were by Jabbar. He was unstoppable for a long time.

4 Elgin Baylor (2)

What you know about dat? What you know about dat? I know all about dat! Once averaged over 38 points per game in a season.

3 George Gervin (2)

If you break it down to minute by minute only Jordan scored more in NBA history. Gervin was as cold as Ice and he did it shootin well over 50% which is amazing.

2 Wilt Chamberlain (7)

Seven of the top 31 highest total points in a season were recorded by Wilt, which is tied with MJ, but Wilt couldn't shoot free throws, so...........

1 Michael Jordan (7)

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1986-1987: Guard Michael Jordan (right) of the Chicago Bulls swiftly moves away from guard Byron Scott of the Los Angeles Lakers during a game held at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport

From any, and everywhere on the court Jordan scored over 2,400, 2,500, 2,600, 2,700, 2,800, 2,900 and 3,000 in different seasons on his way to 10 scoring titles and the highest scoring average ever for a career at 30.1 ppg! Take that in for a second....yep, Jordan is the greatest scorer in NBA history. Not just for one great game, Michael was determined to be the best every night of his career, and that is how he earned his legend.