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Eleazar Gonzales enumerates the top-10 all-time NBA playoffs scorers. Eleazar reviews the stats, playoff performances, and history behind the 10 best players who scored the most points during the NBA playoffs.
They say the NBA playoffs are a different animal compared to the regular season. Some consider the playoffs as the true season as it's during the playoffs that we can separate winners and pretenders.
For some, playing in the postseason is an opportunity to show what they are capable of -- proof that they have what it takes to score more for their team to lead them to an NBA championship. And while scoring isn't everything in basketball, scoring in the playoffs isn't as easy as it is during the regular season. And yet, some players score more points during the playoffs.
Below are the top-10 all-time scoring leaders in the NBA playoffs.
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LeBron James (8,023 Points)
Who else would be leading the all-time scoring list in the playoffs other than the all-time leading scorer of the NBA?
Given LeBron James has been in the league since 2003, it's not a surprise he's only one of the two active players in the top 10 of the all-time playoff scoring list. In 282 playoff games, the King averaged 28.5 points, nine rebounds, and 7.2 assists.
If the Los Angeles Lakers stay on course of securing a spot in the 2024 playoffs, LeBron could add more to his current count of 8,023 playoff points.
LeBron by 25 🐐
▪️2x MVP
▪️6x All Star
▪️6X All NBA
▪️2x All Def 1st
▪️1x NBA Scoring ChampCareer Per Game
▪️27.8 PPG
▪️7.0 RPG
▪️7.0 APGPlayoffs Per Game
▪️29.3 PPG
▪️8.4 RPG
▪️7.3 APGTotal Career
▪️15,251 PTS
▪️3,861 REB
▪️3,810 AST#WITNESS pic.twitter.com/yXAQkziCx6— LeBron Factory (@LeBronFactory) June 20, 2020
Michael Jordan (5,987 Points)
You can't have an all-time scoring list without having Michael Jordan's name in it. It doesn't work that way, considering His Airness's winning record.
Appearing in 179 playoff games during his decorated NBA career, Michael Jordan scored 5,987 points in the playoffs by averaging 33.4 points per game -- the highest-scoring average in the playoffs. He also shot 48.7% from the field in the playoffs.
Michael Jordan in 1997-98:
✓ NBA Champion
✓ FMVP
✓ MVP
✓ Scoring Champion
✓ Lead Scorer in Playoffs
✓ All-NBA 1st Team
✓ All-NBA Defensive 1st Team
✓ All-Star
✓ 82 Games Played
✓ 39 Minutes Averaged per Game
✓ 4th in DPOY Voting
He was 35-years old#NBA #BullsNation pic.twitter.com/bcTHIF4Nah— The Jordan Rules (@Rules23Jordan) January 2, 2022
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (5,762 Points)
Like Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's name has been etched in any scoring list in basketball. For a long time, Abdul-Jabbar sat atop the all-time scoring list until LeBron James happened.
In the playoffs, the Captain scored 5,762 points in 237 playoff games. His playoff career averages stand at 24.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. No wonder he's a six-time NBA champion and a two-time Finals MVP.
1976-1977 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
Regular Season:
26.2 PPG
13.3 RPG
3.9 APG
3.2 BPG
60.8 TS%
+9.7% rTSPlayoffs:
34.6 PPG
17.7 RPG
4.1 APG
3.5 BPG
64.6 TS%
+13.5% rTSBest playoff scoring season ever? pic.twitter.com/wfZazfqK3S
— ً 🧸 (@MachHomie) July 12, 2021
Kobe Bryant (5,640 Points)
Kobe Bryant delivered some of the greatest playoff performances we've seen, which made him one of the greatest scorers of all time. If the Black Mamba becomes unstoppable offensively, it's a sure win for the Lakers -- especially during the playoffs.
Kobe scored 5,640 points in 220 playoff games. In those games, he averaged 25.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. During the Lakers' 2009 playoff run, Bryant averaged 30.2 points, 5.5 assists, and 5.3 rebounds en route to winning his first NBA championship since 2002.
Kobe putting on an offensive clinic in the 2012 playoffs.
Scoring from everywhere.
pic.twitter.com/0X7D8G6xrR— BGN Hoops (@BGNHoops) August 27, 2023
Shaquille O'Neal (5,250 Points)
In 216 playoff games, Shaquille O'Neal didn't attempt a single three-pointer, and yet he scored a total of 5,250 points in the postseason. This proved one thing: Shaq didn't need a three-point shot to become who many would argue is the most dominant big man in NBA history,
Shaq averaged 24.3 points and 11.6 rebounds, finishing his career with four NBA championships, three Finals MVPs, and a league MVP plum.
Shaq's time with the Lakers ... one word:
DOMINANT 😤 pic.twitter.com/ROMfPWmHqN
— ESPN (@espn) April 25, 2020
Tim Duncan (5,172 Points)
Tim Duncan spent his entire 19-season NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs and is regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time.
Duncan, a five-time NBA champion, scored 5,172 points in 251 playoff games, averaging 20.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, and three assists. In his final championship-winning playoff run that included a five-game dance against LeBron James' Miami Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals, Tim Duncan averaged 16.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, and two assists in 23 games -- not bad for a then 38-year-old veteran.
People forget how dominant Tim Duncan was. pic.twitter.com/Dam6bvrIkk
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) November 27, 2020
Kevin Durant (4,878 Points)
Appearing in 166 playoff games (and counting), Kevin Durant is the other active player in the top-10 list of all-time playoff scoring leaders.
Durant has already scored 4,878 points in the playoffs and can add more to that count depending on how far his Phoenix Suns can go in the upcoming 2024 playoffs. He's averaging 29.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in the postseason. He won back-to-back championships with the Golden State Warriors from 2017 to 2018 alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green -- taking home the Finals MVP plum in both instances.
Kevin Durant is now No. 7 on the all-time playoff scoring list. 🔥👏 pic.twitter.com/PE9AeAtT7C
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 6, 2023
Karl Malone (4,761 Points)
While the Mailman failed to deliver a championship to Utah, he remains the player to score the most points for a single franchise with 36,374.
In 193 playoff games, Karl Malone scored 4,761 points. His playoff career averages stand at 24.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. He is also a 14-time All-Star and a two-time MVP.
.@utahjazz Top Individual Playoff Scoring Games: Karl Malone (50, 44, 42, 40); Adrian Dantley (46), Carlos Boozer (41), Gordon Hayward (40) pic.twitter.com/Jk5RsIU3tz
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) April 22, 2017
Jerry West (4,457 Points)
The Logo played 153 playoff games in his legendary career and scored 4,457 points in those games.
He averaged 29.1 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game in the playoffs. And believe it or not, West played 55 games in the NBA Finals -- tied for fifth most in NBA history. In the Finals, West averaged 30.5 points, 5.6 assists, and five rebounds.
Between April 3 and 13, 1965 (today 56 years ago) Jerry West chained 6 consecutive playoff games scoring 40 or more points, an absolute NBA record
They were the 6 games of the tie Lakers vs Baltimore, in which he averaged 46.3 points: 49, 52, 44, 48, 43 and 42 was his series pic.twitter.com/7OXxdOEKtl
— Top Data NBA (@TopDataNBA) April 13, 2021
Tony Parker (4,045 Points)
This entry may surprise you, but yes, Tony Parker is 10th in the all-time playoff scoring list with 4,045 points in 226 playoff games. He averaged 17.1 points, 5.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds.
Parker is a four-time NBA champion and the 2007 Finals MVP.
Tony Parker is now 1 of 4 in @NBA history with 4,000+ points and 1,000+ assists in his playoff career (MJ, Kobe, LeBron) pic.twitter.com/rPRgq3NsXm
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 4, 2017
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