Most Points in an NBA Season: Top 100 All-Time Leaders

Wilt Chamberlain scored the most points in a single NBA season, finishing the 1961-62 regular season with 4,029 points for the Philadelphia Warriors. His 3,586 points in 1962-63 rank second, while Michael Jordan’s 3,041 points in 1986-87 are the highest total by anyone other than Chamberlain.

This is an objective NBA regular-season leaderboard through the completed 2025-26 season. Total points determine placement. ABA points, playoff points and combined NBA/ABA totals are excluded. The tier graphics cover seasons above 2,550 points, while the complete table extends to 100 entries.

Key Facts

• NBA record: Wilt Chamberlain, 4,029 points in 1961-62.
• Second place: Wilt Chamberlain, 3,586 points in 1962-63.
• Best non-Wilt season: Michael Jordan, 3,041 points in 1986-87.
• 3,000-point seasons: Four, produced only by Chamberlain and Jordan.
• Highest post-merger total: Kobe Bryant, 2,832 points in 2005-06.
• Graphic cutoff: George Gervin, 2,551 points in 1981-82.
• Top-100 table cutoff: Oscar Robertson and Charles Barkley, tied at No. 99 with 2,264 points.

Scope and Ranking Method

The statistic controlling placement is total points scored by one player during one NBA regular season. The article runs through the completed 2025-26 season. The tier analysis covers every season at or above the graphic’s 2,550-point threshold, while the complete leaderboard extends to the top 100 entries.

Playoff points are excluded. ABA seasons are also excluded, which is important for Charlie Scott’s 1971-72 season. Scott scored 2,524 points for the ABA’s Virginia Squires before joining the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, but combining production from two different leagues does not create an NBA single-season total. He therefore does not qualify for this NBA-only leaderboard.

Players tied in points receive the same rank, and the following rank is skipped. The table contains exactly 100 player-seasons even though the final displayed rank is No. 99 because Oscar Robertson and Charles Barkley are tied at the cutoff with 2,264 points.

What Total Points Measure

Total Points Reward Scoring and Availability

A scoring average measures production per game. A season total measures how much scoring a player supplied across the entire schedule. Reaching this leaderboard requires both a high average and enough games played to keep adding points.

Jordan’s 1986-87 season is a clean example. He played all 82 games and averaged 37.1 points, allowing him to reach 3,041. James Harden averaged 36.1 in 2018-19, but his 78 games produced 2,818 points. Both were extraordinary scoring seasons, but four additional games helped Jordan create a much larger total.

Wilt Combined an Unmatched Average With Extreme Minutes

Chamberlain’s record season was not built from one famous game. He averaged 50.4 points across 80 games and played 48.5 minutes per game because overtime pushed his average beyond the regulation length of an NBA game.

That combination explains the size of the record. A player averaging 40 points across a full 82-game season would score 3,280 points, still 749 short of Chamberlain’s total.

The 2025-26 Scoring Leader Did Not Approach the Cutoff

Luka Dončić led the NBA at 33.5 points per game in 2025-26, but he played 64 games and finished with 2,143 points. That was 121 points below the 2,264-point cutoff for this top-100 table.

The comparison shows why total points and points per game produce different leaderboards. Availability is not a side detail here. It is part of the statistic.

Tier 1: 4,000+ Points

Wilt Chamberlain stands alone in Tier 1 with the NBA record of 4,029 points in 1961-62.

Tier 1 is reserved for 4,000-point seasons. Chamberlain is the only player to qualify.

Wilt Chamberlain: 4,029 Points in 1961-62

Season: 4,029 points, 50.4 points per game, Philadelphia Warriors.

Chamberlain’s record is 443 points above his own second-place season and 988 above Jordan’s best total. His 100-point game is the most famous night from the campaign, but the greater achievement was maintaining unprecedented volume for 80 games.

Tier 2: 3,700-3,999 Points

No NBA season falls between 3,700 and 3,999 points.

Tier 2 is empty. The gap is meaningful because Chamberlain jumped from 3,586 in 1962-63 to 4,029 in 1961-62 without any season landing in between.

Tier 3: 3,400-3,699 Points

Wilt Chamberlain’s 3,586 points in 1962-63 rank second in NBA history.

Tier 3 covers seasons from 3,400 through 3,699 points. Only Chamberlain’s second-highest total qualifies.

Wilt Chamberlain: 3,586 Points in 1962-63

Season: 3,586 points, 44.8 points per game, San Francisco Warriors.

This would stand 545 points above the best season by any other player. Chamberlain’s two highest totals occupy statistical territory that Jordan, Kobe Bryant, James Harden and every other great scorer never reached.

Tier 4: 3,000-3,399 Points

Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain produced the two seasons in the 3,000-3,399-point range.

Tier 4 contains the other two 3,000-point seasons in NBA history.

Michael Jordan: 3,041 Points in 1986-87

Season: 3,041 points, 37.1 points per game, Chicago Bulls.

Jordan became the only guard and the only player besides Chamberlain to reach 3,000. He did it without modern three-point volume, making the total especially striking for a perimeter scorer.

Wilt Chamberlain: 3,033 Points in 1960-61

Season: 3,033 points, 38.4 points per game, Philadelphia Warriors.

Chamberlain crossed 3,000 one year before setting the record. Jordan eventually edged this season by eight points, creating the closest comparison anywhere near the top of the leaderboard.

Tier 5: 2,800-2,999 Points

Six NBA seasons fall between 2,800 and 2,999 points.

Tier 5 is the deepest group near the top. Only 14 points separate Kobe Bryant in seventh from James Harden in 10th.

Wilt Chamberlain: 2,948 Points in 1963-64

Season: 2,948 points, 36.9 points per game, San Francisco Warriors.

This was Chamberlain’s fourth straight season above 2,900 points. No other player has produced even two such seasons.

Michael Jordan: 2,868 Points in 1987-88

Season: 2,868 points, 35.0 points per game, Chicago Bulls.

Jordan followed his 3,041-point season with the sixth-highest total ever. Back-to-back seasons above 2,800 separate his scoring peak from every non-Wilt player.

Kobe Bryant: 2,832 Points in 2005-06

Season: 2,832 points, 35.4 points per game, Los Angeles Lakers.

Bryant owns the highest total of the post-merger era. His 81-point game supplied the signature moment, but 80 games of high-difficulty shot creation built the season total.

Bob McAdoo: 2,831 Points in 1974-75

Season: 2,831 points, 34.5 points per game, Buffalo Braves.

McAdoo finished one point behind Bryant and nine ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His face-up shooting and speed created a scoring profile that looked unusual for a center in the mid-1970s.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 2,822 Points in 1971-72

Season: 2,822 points, 34.8 points per game, Milwaukee Bucks.

Abdul-Jabbar reached this total in 81 games at the height of his Milwaukee scoring peak. The skyhook provided a reliable half-court answer without requiring three-point shooting.

James Harden: 2,818 Points in 2018-19

Season: 2,818 points, 36.1 points per game, Houston Rockets.

Harden scored at the second-highest average among the six Tier 5 seasons but played fewer games than everyone in the group except Rick Barry’s later Tier 6 season. His total reflects the tradeoff between extraordinary nightly output and a 78-game schedule.

Tier 6: 2,635-2,799 Points

Tier 6 contains six NBA seasons. The original Tier 6 graphic cannot be used unchanged because it includes Charlie Scott’s combined ABA and NBA production.

Rick Barry: 2,775 Points in 1966-67

Season: 2,775 points, 35.6 points per game, San Francisco Warriors.

Barry posted the highest scoring average in this tier and reached the total in 78 games. His free-throw accuracy and ability to score from several areas gave the Warriors a high-volume perimeter option before the three-point line existed.

Michael Jordan: 2,753 Points in 1989-90

Season: 2,753 points, 33.6 points per game, Chicago Bulls.

This is Jordan’s third appearance in the top 12. His repeated entries show that his 3,041-point season was not an isolated spike.

Elgin Baylor: 2,719 Points in 1962-63

Season: 2,719 points, 34.0 points per game, Los Angeles Lakers.

Baylor attacked as a forward with unusual body control and finishing creativity. His total is tied with Archibald, but the two seasons were created through very different offensive roles.

Tiny Archibald: 2,719 Points in 1972-73

Season: 2,719 points, 34.0 points per game, Kansas City-Omaha Kings.

Archibald paired this scoring total with a league-leading assist average. Carrying both the primary scoring and playmaking jobs makes his season one of the most demanding offensive workloads on the list.

Wilt Chamberlain: 2,707 Points in 1959-60

Season: 2,707 points, 37.6 points per game, Philadelphia Warriors.

Chamberlain entered the league and immediately produced the 15th-highest total in NBA history. It remains the only rookie season above 2,700 points.

Wilt Chamberlain: 2,649 Points in 1965-66

Season: 2,649 points, 33.5 points per game, Philadelphia 76ers.

This is Chamberlain’s sixth appearance in the top 16. His scoring role was beginning to evolve, but he still remained comfortably above the next tier’s 2,634-point ceiling.

Tier 7: 2,550-2,634 Points

Seven NBA seasons fall between 2,550 and 2,634 points.

Tier 7 completes the graphic and includes the final seven qualifying seasons.

Michael Jordan: 2,633 Points in 1988-89

Season: 2,633 points, 32.5 points per game, Chicago Bulls.

Jordan missed the Tier 6 cutoff by two points. He also expanded his playmaking responsibilities that season while remaining one of the league’s highest-volume scorers.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 2,596 Points in 1970-71

Season: 2,596 points, 31.7 points per game, Milwaukee Bucks.

Abdul-Jabbar combined this scoring season with Milwaukee’s first championship. It is his second entry in the top 18.

Kevin Durant: 2,593 Points in 2013-14

Season: 2,593 points, 32.0 points per game, Oklahoma City Thunder.

Durant’s MVP season is the most efficient-looking scoring profile in this tier. He combined perimeter shooting, rim pressure and free throws without needing the same shot volume as several older entries.

George Gervin: 2,585 Points in 1979-80

Season: 2,585 points, 33.1 points per game, San Antonio Spurs.

Gervin reached 2,585 in 78 games, giving him the highest scoring average in Tier 7. His soft touch and movement scoring made him difficult to contain without relying on three-pointers.

Michael Jordan: 2,580 Points in 1990-91

Season: 2,580 points, 31.5 points per game, Chicago Bulls.

Jordan paired another top-25 scoring total with his first NBA championship. This is his fifth appearance above 2,550 points.

Russell Westbrook: 2,558 Points in 2016-17

Season: 2,558 points, 31.6 points per game, Oklahoma City Thunder.

Westbrook’s MVP season required him to create a huge share of Oklahoma City’s offense. The triple-double average receives more attention, but his scoring total also ranks 22nd in NBA history.

George Gervin: 2,551 Points in 1981-82

Season: 2,551 points, 32.3 points per game, San Antonio Spurs.

Gervin holds the final spot above the graphic’s 2,550-point threshold. Michael Jordan’s 2,541 points in 1992-93 are next, 10 points below the cutoff.

Dataset Insights

Wilt and Jordan Own Nearly Half the Entries

Within the 23 seasons shown in the tier graphics, Chamberlain appears six times and Jordan appears five times. Together, they account for 11 entries, including every 3,000-point campaign.

The Highest Modern Totals Still Fall Short of 3,000

Bryant and Harden produced the two highest post-merger totals, but both remained more than 200 points below 3,000. Modern rest patterns, missed games and lower minute loads make Chamberlain’s record even harder to approach.

The Graphic Cutoff Demands Both Volume and Health

A player averaging 32 points would need to play about 80 games to reach 2,550. That is why several recent scoring champions do not appear despite averages comparable to players on the list.

Top 100 NBA Single-Season Points Leaderboard

The tier graphics cover the 23 seasons at or above 2,550 points. The expanded table below continues through the top 100 entries, ending with Oscar Robertson and Charles Barkley tied at No. 99 with 2,264 points.

FAQ: NBA Single-Season Points Leaders

Who scored the most points in one NBA season?

Wilt Chamberlain scored 4,029 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in 1961-62, the highest regular-season total in NBA history.

Who has the most points in a season besides Wilt Chamberlain?

Michael Jordan has the highest non-Wilt total with 3,041 points for the Chicago Bulls in 1986-87.

How many NBA players have scored 3,000 points in a season?

Two players have done it. Chamberlain produced three 3,000-point seasons, and Jordan produced one.

Why is Charlie Scott not included?

Scott’s 2,637 figure combines 2,524 ABA points for the Virginia Squires with 113 NBA points for the Phoenix Suns. This page ranks NBA regular-season totals, so production from the two leagues cannot be combined.

Are playoff points included?

No. Only points scored during the NBA regular season are counted.

Statistical scope: NBA regular-season points only. ABA, playoff and preseason points are excluded. The table covers league history through the completed 2025-26 NBA season.

Cutoffs: The tier graphics end at 2,550 points, with Gervin’s 2,551 as the final graphic entry. The complete table contains 100 player-seasons and ends with Robertson and Barkley tied at No. 99 with 2,264 points.

Last Reviewed: August 4, 2026.

Conclusion

Chamberlain’s 4,029 points in 1961-62 remain the NBA single-season record. His 3,586-point follow-up ranks second, and Jordan’s 3,041 points in 1986-87 remain the best non-Wilt total.

The leaderboard measures more than scoring talent. Every entry required a high average, a major offensive role and enough availability to sustain that production across nearly the entire schedule. The expanded top 100 ends with Oscar Robertson and Charles Barkley tied at No. 99 with 2,264 points.

Related NBA Rankings

• Most points scored in NBA history
• Most points scored in the NBA since 2000
• Most points scored in NBA Finals history
• Best NBA center every year from 1967 to 2026

Follow @sogbasketball for more NBA rankings!