Michael Jordan is the best scorer of All-Time – He’s the only one to have averaged 30 points a season 8 times.
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Michael Jordan is such a score-first guy, he’s led the league in scoring 10 times, 8 of them above 30 points a game. The other two years? .4 and 1.3 points shy of 30.
If he took one free throw more than he did in those seasons, we’d be looking at an award winner who’s won it 10 times for more than 30 points. Jordan was a freak, and not just on a poker table.
The other two people who have managed this feat are Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson. Two people who do not need any introduction are the Big Dipper and the Big O. They are two giants of the game.
The scoring prowess of Chamberlain needs no introduction because he’s the only guy with a triple-digit score. Averaging a ridiculous 37.6 points in his rookie season, Wilt saw higher numbers in his first year than Michael Jordan at his best (37.1).
The surprising entry for many would-be Oscar Robertson. Many would have fathomed having Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor, or even Shaquille O’Neal. But surprisingly, the Lakers’ big man has never averaged 30 a season!
Robertson was an underrated scorer, who people forget when talking about all-around scorers. Even during his time, he had an arsenal of shots while still performing exceptionally well in the other facets of the game as well.
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LeBron James is on almost every list – this one belongs exclusively to Michael Jordan and his peers
The modern-day version of the 23-wearing icon, LeBron James, is almost on every top 10 list ever compiled. But not this one, because he’s only ever managed to average 30 a season three times. Last season was the first time since 2007-08 that he hit the 30 mark. If he had played more games, that number would have dropped. It isn’t a knock on his performances, but his age should also be noted.
No player in the modern NBA will be able to reach Oscar and his record, let alone Mike. The game has evolved to have multiple scoring options, so the workload will always be shared. They were the primary options for their team and ran all their channels through them. The defensive plays have evolved much more than a simple man-to-man mark, which would be able to curtail them to some extent.
But who’s going to stop a 7-foot slender man who could dunk over 3 people? We have Giannis Antetokounmpo doing the same, and he’s arguably a much weaker Wilt Chamberlain. They’d evolve along with the game because they were constantly learning. That’s how they managed to stay at the top for so long.
