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NBA all-time scoring leaders, season by season

Wilt, Kareem, Malone, Kobe, Jordan and LeBron: the race for the NBA's career points record.

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What the data shows

  • In 2026, LeBron James ranks #1 with 43.4K, ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38.4K) and Karl Malone (36.9K).
  • Back in 1960, Wilt Chamberlain was #1 with 2.7K.
  • The top spot changed hands twice: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1984 and LeBron James in 2023.
  • Biggest climber: LeBron James, from #8 in 2004 to #1 in 2026.

About this chart

Wilt Chamberlain held the career scoring record until Kareem Abdul-Jabbar passed him in 1984. Kareem held the record for almost 39 years, finishing on 38,387 points, until LeBron James passed him on February 7, 2023.

Totals are NBA regular-season points at the end of each season; ABA and playoff points are not included.

The data

Source: Basketball Reference season totals, NBA regular-season career points at the end of each season. Retrieved November 3, 2026. NBA regular season only; ABA points are not included.

NBA all-time scoring leaders, Career regular-season points, 1960–2026
Date🇺🇸 LeBron James🇺🇸 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar🇺🇸 Karl Malone🇺🇸 Kobe Bryant🇺🇸 Kevin Durant🇺🇸 Michael Jordan🇩🇪 Dirk Nowitzki🇺🇸 Wilt Chamberlain🇺🇸 James Harden🇺🇸 Shaquille O'Neal
196000000002.7K00
196100000005.7K00
196200000009.8K00
1963000000013.4K00
1964000000016.3K00
1965000000018.8K00
1966000000021.5K00
1967000000023.4K00
1968000000025.4K00
1969000000027.1K00
197002.4K0000027.4K00
197105K0000029.1K00
197207.8K0000030.3K00
1973010.1K0000031.4K00
1974012.3K0000031.4K00
1975014.2K0000031.4K00
1976016.5K0000031.4K00
1977018.6K0000031.4K00
1978020.2K0000031.4K00
1979022.1K0000031.4K00
1980024.2K0000031.4K00
1981026.3K0000031.4K00
1982028.1K0000031.4K00
1983029.8K0000031.4K00
1984031.5K0000031.4K00
1985033.3K0002.3K031.4K00
1986035.1K1.2K002.7K031.4K00
1987036.5K3K005.8K031.4K00
1988037.6K5.3K008.6K031.4K00
1989038.4K7.6K0011.3K031.4K00
1990038.4K10.1K0014K031.4K00
1991038.4K12.5K0016.6K031.4K00
1992038.4K14.8K0019K031.4K00
1993038.4K17K0021.5K031.4K01.9K
1994038.4K19.1K0021.5K031.4K04.3K
1995038.4K21.2K0022K031.4K06.6K
1996038.4K23.3K0024.5K031.4K08K
1997038.4K25.6K539026.9K031.4K09.4K
1998038.4K27.8K1.8K029.3K031.4K011.1K
1999038.4K28.9K2.8K029.3K38531.4K012.3K
2000038.4K31K4.2K029.3K1.8K31.4K014.7K
2001038.4K32.9K6.2K029.3K3.6K31.4K016.8K
2002038.4K34.7K8.2K030.7K5.4K31.4K018.6K
2003038.4K36.4K10.7K032.3K7.4K31.4K020.5K
20041.7K38.4K36.9K12.2K032.3K9.1K31.4K021.9K
20053.8K38.4K36.9K14K032.3K11.1K31.4K023.6K
20066.3K38.4K36.9K16.9K032.3K13.3K31.4K024.8K
20078.4K38.4K36.9K19.3K032.3K15.2K31.4K025.5K
200810.7K38.4K36.9K21.6K1.6K32.3K17K31.4K026.3K
200913K38.4K36.9K23.8K3.5K32.3K19.1K31.4K027.6K
201015.3K38.4K36.9K25.8K6K32.3K21.1K31.4K75328.3K
201117.4K38.4K36.9K27.9K8.1K32.3K22.8K31.4K1.8K28.6K
201219K38.4K36.9K29.5K10K32.3K24.1K31.4K2.8K28.6K
201321.1K38.4K36.9K31.6K12.3K32.3K25.1K31.4K4.8K28.6K
201423.2K38.4K36.9K31.7K14.9K32.3K26.8K31.4K6.7K28.6K
201524.9K38.4K36.9K32.5K15.5K32.3K28.1K31.4K8.9K28.6K
201626.8K38.4K36.9K33.6K17.6K32.3K29.5K31.4K11.3K28.6K
201728.8K38.4K36.9K33.6K19.1K32.3K30.3K31.4K13.6K28.6K
201831K38.4K36.9K33.6K20.9K32.3K31.2K31.4K15.8K28.6K
201932.5K38.4K36.9K33.6K22.9K32.3K31.6K31.4K18.6K28.6K
202034.2K38.4K36.9K33.6K22.9K32.3K31.6K31.4K21K28.6K
202135.4K38.4K36.9K33.6K23.9K32.3K31.6K31.4K22K28.6K
202237.1K38.4K36.9K33.6K25.5K32.3K31.6K31.4K23.5K28.6K
202338.7K38.4K36.9K33.6K26.9K32.3K31.6K31.4K24.7K28.6K
202440.5K38.4K36.9K33.6K28.9K32.3K31.6K31.4K25.9K28.6K
202542.2K38.4K36.9K33.6K30.6K32.3K31.6K31.4K27.7K28.6K
202643.4K38.4K36.9K33.6K32.6K32.3K31.6K31.4K29.3K28.6K

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Frequently asked questions

Who is the NBA's all-time leading scorer?

In 2026, LeBron James ranks #1 with 43.4K, followed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38.4K) and Karl Malone (36.9K). Source: Basketball Reference season totals, NBA regular-season career points at the end of each season.

Where does this data come from?

Basketball Reference season totals, NBA regular-season career points at the end of each season. Retrieved November 3, 2026. NBA regular season only; ABA points are not included. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

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