The NBA All-Star game pits the finest players in the league against each other, but it’s rarely played seriously. Superstars avoid trying too hard and exposing themselves to injuries, rendering the game into an offensive shootout between the two teams.
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The All-Star games have become high-scoring due to the three-point explosion. The last five games have averaged 331.2 points, showcasing how little defense is valued in these contests. Some of the best players ever have used the lack of defensive effort to rack up points in the All-Star game. Here’s the list of the top five highest-scoring players in NBA All-Star history:
LeBron James – 426 points
Unsurprisingly, it’s the player with the most All-Star game appearances atop its scoring throne. LeBron James has scored 426 points in 19 games and is the only player to breach the 400-point barrier in the All-Star game.
James had his best outing in the 2012 All-Star game scoring 36 points in a narrow 152-149 loss for the Eastern Conference. This year. he’ll surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and hold the record for most appearances in an All-Star game. The annual event is his domain, and no one is within striking distance of catching the Los Angeles Lakers superstar.
Kobe Bryant – 290 points
Speaking of a Los Angeles Lakers superstar, Kobe Bryant is second on the list of the top scorers in NBA All-Star game history. He made his first appearance in his sophomore season in the NBA and led the Western Conference in scoring with 18 points. He earned an All-Star nod 18 times during his incredible career but played in 15. Bryant had his best outing in the 2011 All-Star game, where he scored 37 points to lead the West to a 148-143 win.
Bryant was the leading scorer in the All-Star when he retired in 2016, but has since been usurped by James. He and Bob Petit share the record for the most NBA All-Star game MVP award wins with four. In 2020, the NBA All-Star game MVP trophy was named after the late Lakers icon.
Michael Jordan – 262 points
Six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan is one of only 18 players to earn an All-Star nod as a rookie since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976. He earned an All-Star nod in 13 of his 15 seasons in the league. He missed out in 1986 after breaking his leg three games into the season and in 1995 when he was still retired. Jordan scored 40 points in the 1988 All-Star game, his best performance in the annual showcase.
Jordan also retired as the highest-scoring player in NBA All-Star game history before being usurped by Byrant and James.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 251 points
For 34 years, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sat atop the All-Star game appearance list with 18 before finally being surpassed by LeBron James in 2023. The Hall of Famer wasn’t prolific in the All-Star game, scoring 20 or more points only five times. He had his best outing in 1984, where he scored 25 points.
Kareem could’ve become the first player to earn 20 straight All-Star nods, but he missed out in 1978 after suffering a fractured hand following an altercation with Kent Benson, who was the first overall pick in the 1977 NBA draft and was making his debut.
Kevin Durant – 250 points
Kevin Durant became a 14-time All-Star this year but has missed the game thrice due to injuries. However, when he has played, he has been sensational. He has five games with over 30 points, and his best, a 38-point explosion, came in 2014.
Durant averages 25 points per appearance in the All-Star game, which ranks second behind Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who averages 25.1 points. He is one of only 14 multi-time winners of the NBA All-Star Game MVP award.
