Here's the list of the all-time leading scorer for every NBA team. While some teams have had better luck than others, every team has had at least one prolific scorer during their history. In this list, we'll pay respect to the No. 1 scorer for every NBA team. Let's get started.
The dynamic duo of John Stockton and Malone led the Jazz to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances, losing to Michael Jordan's Bulls both times. Malone, third all-time on the NBA scoring list, was nicknamed The Mailman because he delivered in the now or never moments of the game. He was great at scoring off the pick-and-roll and with his emphatic dunks.
The greatest Laker of all time by a wide margin, Bryant spent two decades with the purple and gold. Bryant modeled his game after Jordan and is the closet thing we've seen to Jordan since the GOAT himself. Kobe was great at draining midrange shots and the post fadeaway. A five-time champion, he won two scoring titles, the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest and was 2008 NBA MVP. Kobe and Shaquille O'Neal were the best duo of all-time, and their Lakers accomplished a rare three-peat from 2000-02.
The greatest German basketball player of all time, Nowitzki was loyal to the Mavericks until the end, spending 21 seasons in Dallas. When the Dirk and Steve Nash Mavs came to an end, Nowitzki was the Mavs' lone superstar. The 2007 MVP had iconic playoff duels with the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. In 2011, Dirk put it all together and won the Mavs their first championship against the Miami Heat Big Three. He was crowned Finals MVP for his clutch performance. Before retiring, Dirk passed the torch to Luka Doncic, the Mavs' new superstar. His go-to shot was the post-fadeaway.
The greatest of all time, Jordan won six championships, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, 10 scoring titles, one Defensive Player of the Year award and the 1985 Rookie of the Year award. He had to wait seven years to win his first ring thanks to Bird, Magic and the Bad Boy Pistons. It was well worth the wait. His acrobatic dunks and sneaker endorsement with Nike made him a global phenomenon. His story is told in "The Last Dance" on Netflix.
The best all-around center of all time, Olajuwon was freakishly agile for a big man. He had great touch and could even shoot, showing off his range on multiple occasions. With Olajuwon at the lead, the Rockets launched, winning back-to-back championships in the '90s. Olajuwon remains the NBA's all-time leader in blocks and is near the top-10 all-time in every major statistic. A post-up powerhouse, Olajuwon's signature move was the nigh-unstoppable Dream Shake.
The greatest power forward of all time, Duncan was a humble big man who turned the Spurs into winners. The five-time champion was an unselfish star who stuck to the fundamentals and kept his game simple. His team-first mentality helped teammates Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard become stars. A two-time MVP, he doesn't get the love he deserves when the GOAT conversation comes up.
A Celtics legend, Havlicek began his career as a sixth man and eventually worked his way into the starting lineup, turning into a lethal scorer. He won eight NBA titles with the Celtics and was the late, great Bill Russell's best sidekick. A clutch player and a consummate teammate, he was crowned 1973-74 Finals MVP.
A clutch playoff performer, Miller was best known for knocking your favorite team out of the playoffs, especially if you were a Knicks fan, earning the nickname The Knick Killer in the process. An efficient three-point shooter in his time, he earned one 50-40-90 season in 1994. His rivalries with the Knicks and Bulls were '90s basketball at its finest. In 2000, he led the Pacers to the NBA Finals, losing to the Shaq-Kobe Lakers.
The struggling Knicks drafted Ewing, a generational center out of Georgetown, with the first overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft. He made an impact right away, winning Rookie of the Year. The 11-time All-Star played the game with an old-school style that was a perfect fit for '90s basketball and the tough city of New York. He led the Knicks to the NBA Finals twice — both heartbreaking losses (1994, 1999). Ewing's Knicks also lost to Michael Jordan's Bulls a lot in the playoffs. When he retired, he became the head coach of Georgetown's men's basketball team but was fired in March 2023.
They don't call him The Human Highlight Reel for nothing. One of the best in-game dunkers of all time, Wilkins was the high-flying showman of an exciting Hawks team in the 1980s. As the Hawks' leader, he turned them into contenders, and won the 1986 scoring title and two Slam Dunk Contests along the way. The Hall of Famer's duels with the likes of Michael Jordan and Larry Bird produced hardwood classics, especially in the second round of the 1987 playoffs. While he never won a ring thanks to a talented, highly competitive Eastern Conference, he still gave Hawks fans great memories.
You can't look at the record books without seeing LeBron's name. He spent his first seven seasons with the Cavaliers, turned into the superstar everyone thought he would, left for Miami to form The Big Three, and then came back to Cleveland to win the Cavaliers and his hometown their first pro sports championship in 52 years in the most memorable Game 7 in NBA history. The kid from Akron is an all-time great player and arguably the only other NBA players who could lay claim to being the GOAT. He can score driving to the rim, with his midrange jumper, in the post, and dunking. Whether the rest of the NBA was shooting midranges or draining threes, King James was always able to adapt to league changes.
Robertson was the first NBA player to average a triple-double over the course of an entire season. The historically great point guard knew how to fill the stat sheet with the Cincinnati Royals (now the Sacramento Kings). An all-around great player, he had to leave the Royals and join forces with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Milwaukee Bucks to win his first and only ring in 1971.
Once his run at Davidson was over, Steph Curry drew concerns over his height, size and injury history. In other words, many teams didn't want to draft him. The Warriors took a chance on him and the gamble paid off.
The greatest three-point shooter in NBA history, Curry proved the doubters wrong and built a dynasty with the Warriors, winning four rings in the process. He formed arguably the best backcourt ever with Klay Thompson: The Splash Brothers. Without him, there would be no such thing as small ball or 3-and-D players. He changed the way basketball is played forever. The best part is that he started out as the classic underdog. He's easily one of the greatest point guards of all time.
English tried to find his game with the Bucks and the Pacers with no success. However, when he touched down in Denver, everything changed. He bloomed into a star player for the Nuggets, winning the 1983 scoring title and leading the team to the 1985 Western Conference Finals, losing to the Showtime Lakers. English was a one-man band almost every season and his all-around game made his teammates better.
The Hall of Fame shooting guard played his entire 15-year career with the 76ers. One of the best shooting guards of his generation, he teamed up with NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain and won the 1966-67 title with the 76ers.
A member of the legendary 2003 NBA Draft class, Wade won three championships with the Heat — one with Shaquille O'Neal and two with LeBron James and Chris Bosh. The greatest player in franchise history, Wade was an unselfish star who let other stars come to the team to help him win. A top-five shooting guard of all-time, he grew up in Chicago watching Michael Jordan and tried to emulate him on the court. He was also a star player on the Redeem Team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, won the 2009 scoring title and won 2006 Finals MVP in a dominant showing against the Dallas Mavericks.
The lone superstar in Portland for nearly his entire career, Lillard always puts the team on his back. A loyal player, he's among the best point guards of his era, which is saying something because the 2010s were loaded with great players at the position. Besides a trip to the 2019 Western Conference Finals, Lillard hasn't gone on many deep playoff runs with the Blazers. A clutch three-point shooter, he's had several dramatic, game-winning moments in the playoffs.
When it comes to any Timberwolves franchise records, chances are Garnett is the record holder. Drafted out of high school, he galvanized the perennial losers and turned them into a playoff team. In 2004, Garnett won league MVP and led the Wolves to the Western Conference Finals. He left for the Boston Celtics in 2008 but retired with the Wolves in 2016.
At one point, the Thunder were loaded with talent. Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant led them to the NBA Finals in 2012, losing to the Miami Heat. Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets, and Durant signed with the Warriors — then the Thunder's biggest rival. As the lone superstar, Westbrook became the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double in a season. He also led the league in scoring and won 2016-17 MVP honors. In total, he's had four seasons where he averaged a triple-double and holds the record for most triple-doubles of all time. Statistically speaking, he's one of the best point guards of his generation.
The leader of the Bad Boy Pistons, Thomas is a great rags-to-riches story. Born and raised on the mean streets of Chicago, Thomas took his tough background and implemented it into his playing style. The rest of the Pistons ‚ Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman and Joe Dumars — followed his lead, winning back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990. Thomas was the floor general of this team and could score at will. He scored 43 points in Game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals against the Lakers. Even though they lost, it's considered one of his best games.
When Antetokounmpo joined the league, he was seen as nothing more than a project player with potential. He grew up in Greece and came from nothing. He rose to the occasion, winning back-to-back MVPs and a championship with the Bucks in 2021. The last star to lead the Bucks to a ring was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar! The Greek Freak has kept the Bucks among the top teams in the East and continues to do so every season.
A very underrated player from the 1980s, Davis was a six-time All-Star and led the Suns to seven playoff trips. He scored 20 points a night and made it look easy. He was a savvy scorer before problems with drugs ruined him. He struggled with cocaine addiction toward the end of his career and was sadly never the same.
There was no learning curve for Hayes, who led the league in scoring as a rookie with the San Diego Rockets. With the Wizards, Hayes proved he knew how to get busy, winning the 1978 championship with Wes Unseld and a cast of role players. The 12-time All-Star played the game the old-fashioned way and was a tenacious rebounder as well as a great scorer.
One of the NBA's last great midrange shooters, DeRozan formed an All-Star backcourt with Kyle Lowry in Toronto. DeRozan's high-flying dunks made Raptors superfan and rapper Drake very happy. His best season was in 2016, when he led the Raptors to the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals. Unfortunately, he was traded away to make room for Kawhi Leonard in 2018. One year later, the Raptors won it all.
Ironically, Smith never played for the Clippers in their Los Angeles era, instead playing for the Buffalo Braves and the San Diego Clippers. A flashy shooting guard, he was an All-Star twice and was crowned 1977-78 All-Star Game MVP. Even though he retired in 1983, Smith is still the Clippers' all-time leading scorer all these years later.
Walker, a legend at UConn thanks to his magical March Madness run in 2011, was the Hornets' star point guard for years. Despite playing for a small-market team, Walker was showed love by the media and hailed as an underrated guard, winning three All-Star selections and leading the Hornets to the playoffs twice. He passed Dell Curry, Steph Curry's father, to become the Hornets' all-time leading scorer.
A criminally underrated point guard from the Grizzlies' 'Grit and Grind' era, he was named to just one All-Star Game in a Western Conference stacked with great point guards. Along with Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, and Tony Allen, he led the Grizzlies to the 2013 Western Conference Finals. Besides points, he also leads the Grizzlies in steals and assists.
When NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal left the Magic for the Los Angeles Lakers, the franchise was in disarray. Several forgettable seasons later, the team drafted Howard right out of high school and built the team around the gigantic center. The Magic bounced back with Howard as he led the team to the 2009 NBA Finals, where they lost to Kobe Bryant's Lakers. Howard, whose post moves and dunks gave defenders fits, was a better defender than a scorer. He won three NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards in a row with the Magic along with five rebounding titles.
Nicknamed The Brow because he rocks a unibrow, Davis was drafted first overall by the struggling then-Hornets, who changed their name to the Pelicans just one year after drafting him. A good player on a bad team, he carried New Orleans to 30 or 40-win seasons all the time. He left for L.A. and won a ring with LeBron's Lakers in 2020. Aside from scoring, he's also a great defender in the paint.
A solid center for the bulk of his career, Lopez was a pivotal player for the Nets. The one-time All-Star arguably had his best years with the Milwaukee Bucks, winning the NBA title in 2021. He improved his three-point shot as his career went on. His twin brother, Robin, also played in the NBA and the two played at Stanford together.
David J. Hunt is a freelance writer based out of Philadelphia. He ran cross country at Penn State, became a volunteer firefighter during COVID-19, and is a self taught journalist. He's a diehard Philly sports fan. When he isn't watching sports, he enjoys working out, fishing, and traveling. You can find more of his writing at The Chestnut Hill Local and The Temple News. You can follow him on Twitter at @dave_hunt44.
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