Wikiwand AI

List of NBA franchise career scoring leaders

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional men's basketball league, consisting of 30 teams in North America (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).[1] It adopted the name National Basketball Association at the start of the 1949–50 NBA season when it merged with the National Basketball League (NBL).[1] The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball, which is recognized by FIBA (a French acronym for "International Basketball Federation") as the National Governing Body (NGB) for basketball in the country.[2] The league is considered to be one of the four major professional sports leagues of North America.[3] There have been 15 defunct franchises in NBA history. In basketball, points are the sum of the score accumulated through free throw or field goal.[4] The NBA introduced three-point field goals in the 1979–80 NBA season as a bonus for field goals made from a longer distance.[5][6] Karl Malone scored 36,374 points with the Utah Jazz, the most points by a player for a single franchise.[7] Kobe Bryant leads the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring the most points in the NBA while playing for only one team in an entire career.[8][9] Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks is second behind Kobe Bryant in scoring while playing for only one team. Oscar Robertson is the leading scorer for the Sacramento Kings franchise, playing all of his games when they were known as the Cincinnati Royals.[10]

Regular season scoring leaders

Karl Malone has scored the most points for a single team, having scored 36,374 points for the Utah Jazz.
^ Active NBA player
* Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
† Not yet eligible for Hall of Fame consideration[note 1]
‡ Franchise with scoring leader on its current roster

Statistics accurate as of the end of the 2025–26 NBA season.

More information Franchise, Player ...
Franchise[note 2]PlayerPointsRef
Atlanta Hawks[note 3] Dominique Wilkins* 23,292
[11]
Boston Celtics John Havlicek* 26,395
[12]
Brooklyn Nets[note 4] Brook Lopez^ 10,444
[13]
Charlotte Hornets[note 5] Kemba Walker 12,009
[14]
Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan* 29,277
[15]
Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James^ 23,119
[16]
Dallas Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki* 31,560
[17]
Denver Nuggets Alex English* 21,645
[18]
Detroit Pistons[note 6] Isiah Thomas* 18,822
[19]
Golden State Warriors‡[note 7] Stephen Curry^ 26,528
[20]
Houston Rockets[note 8] Hakeem Olajuwon* 26,511
[21]
Indiana Pacers Reggie Miller* 25,279
[22]
Los Angeles Clippers[note 9] Randy Smith 12,735
[23]
Los Angeles Lakers[note 10] Kobe Bryant* 33,643
[8]
Memphis Grizzlies[note 11] Mike Conley^ 11,733
[24]
Miami Heat Dwyane Wade* 21,556
[25]
Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo^ 21,531
[26]
Minnesota Timberwolves Kevin Garnett* 19,201
[27]
New Orleans Pelicans[note 12] Anthony Davis^ 11,059
[28]
New York Knicks Patrick Ewing* 23,665
[29]
Oklahoma City Thunder[note 13] Russell Westbrook† 18,859
[30]
Orlando Magic Dwight Howard* 11,435
[31]
Philadelphia 76ers[note 14] Hal Greer* 21,586
[32]
Phoenix Suns‡ Devin Booker^ 18,120
[33]
Portland Trail Blazers‡ Damian Lillard^ 19,376
[34]
Sacramento Kings[note 15] Oscar Robertson* 22,009
[35]
San Antonio Spurs[note 16] Tim Duncan* 26,496
[36]
Toronto Raptors DeMar DeRozan^ 13,296
[37]
Utah Jazz[note 17] Karl Malone* 36,374
[38]
Washington Wizards[note 18] Elvin Hayes* 15,551
[39]
Close

Notes

  1. [1]
    A player is not eligible for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame until he has been fully retired for two calendar years.
  2. [2]
    This list only includes active NBA franchises.
  3. [3]
    Formerly Buffalo Bisons (1946), Tri-Cities Blackhawks (1946–1951), Milwaukee Hawks (1951–1955), St. Louis Hawks (1955–1968)
  4. [4]
    Formerly New Jersey Americans (1967–1968), New York Nets (1968–1977), New Jersey Nets (1977–2012)
  5. [5]
    Formerly Charlotte Bobcats (2004–2014)
  6. [6]
    Formerly Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (1937–1948), Fort Wayne Pistons (1948–1957)
  7. [7]
    Formerly Philadelphia Warriors (1946–1962), San Francisco Warriors (1962–1971)
  8. [8]
    Formerly San Diego Rockets (1967–1971)
  9. [9]
    Formerly Buffalo Braves (1970–1978), San Diego Clippers (1978–1984)
  10. [10]
    Formerly Detroit Gems (1946–1947), Minneapolis Lakers (1947–1960)
  11. [11]
    Formerly Vancouver Grizzlies (1995–2001)
  12. [12]
    Formerly New Orleans Hornets (2002–2005, 2007–2013), New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (2005–2007)
  13. [13]
    Formerly Seattle SuperSonics (1967–2008)
  14. [14]
    Formerly Syracuse Nationals (1946–1963)
  15. [15]
    Formerly Rochester Seagrams (1923–1942), Rochester Eber Seagrams (1942–1943), Rochester Pros (1943–1945), Rochester Royals (1945–1957), Cincinnati Royals (1957–1972), Kansas City-Omaha Kings (1972–1975), Kansas City Kings (1975–1985)
  16. [16]
    Formerly Dallas Chaparrals (1967–1970, 1971–1973), Texas Chaparrals (1970–1971)
  17. [17]
    Formerly New Orleans Jazz (1974–1979)
  18. [18]
    Formerly Chicago Packers (1961–1962), Chicago Zephyrs (1962–1963), Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973), Capital Bullets (1973–1974), Washington Bullets (1974–1997)

References

Related Articles

Timelines

Top Qs

Fact Checks