5 youngest NBA players to reach 10,000 points in their career
The NBA has witnessed some great scorers over the years. However, very few have been prolific as soon as they entered the league.
Sophomore Zion Williamson recently became the fourth-youngest player to reach 1,000 points and is one of the most consistent scorers in the league at the moment. However, even he doesn't make it into the top five youngest players to reach 10,000 career points.
In this article, we will look at the five stars that currently top this list, all of whom are either NBA Hall-of-Famers or future members.
Who are the youngest NBA players to score 10,000 points?
Reaching 10,000 points in the NBA is a considerable milestone for any player, let alone for a player under the age of 25.
The players on this list have 10 scoring titles and 11 NBA Championships between them.
#5 Tracy McGrady
The first player to make it onto our list is Tracy McGrady. A seven-time All-Star and Hall-of-Famer, McGrady was a lethal scorer during his 15 years in the NBA. He was particularly efficient when playing for the Orlando Magic as he led the league in scoring for two straight seasons with the franchise.
During the 2002-03 season, the then 23-year-old averaged 32.1 points a night, which ranks as the 4th-highest tally this century for scoring leaders.
Although he wasn't particularly efficient from downtown with a career-accuracy of 33.8%, McGrady shot at 43.5% from the field.
The versatile guard became the second-youngest player at the time to reach 10,000 points in February 2004 when he was 24 years and 272 days old. In a game against the Denver Nuggets, while playing for Orlando, McGrady grabbed 15 points before being ejected. However, that was enough time for him to reach the milestone.
#4 Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony is one of the most consistent scorers the NBA has ever seen and will no doubt be enshrined in the Hall of Fame once he has retired. Averaging 21 points a night in his rookie campaign set the tone as Anthony has gone on to average an impressive 23 points per game across his 18-year career.
In 2009, Anthony overtook McGrady as one of the youngest NBA players to score 10,000 points at the age of 24 years and 251 days. He has recorded over 25 points a game in nine of his years in the league and was the scoring champion in 2013 when he put up 28.7 per contest for the New York Knicks.
Recently, Anthony entered the top-10 NBA scorers of all-time and is on the cusp of becoming the ninth-highest in the playoffs.
#3 Kobe Bryant
Over the weekend, the late, great Kobe Bryant took his place among basketball legends in the Hall of Fame. He was one of the most-decorated talents the league has ever seen and one of its purest scorers.
During his illustrious 20-year career with the Lakers, Kobe led the league in scoring on two occasions and finished with an average of 25 points per game. His staggering 35.4 points a night in the 2005-06 campaign is the 8th-highest tally for a season of all-time and the 2nd-highest this century.
There was a lot of buzz around Bryant when he entered the league at just 17 years of age and in his fifth season was already averaging over 28 points a night. On March 5th in 2003, Bryant became the youngest player at the time to reach 10,000 career points at 24 years and 194 days, overtaking the likes of Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal.
#2 Kevin Durant
Another player to hit the ground running in his NBA career was forward Kevin Durant. In his first five seasons, 'The Slim Reaper' had already led the league in scoring on three occasions. In fact, he held that title for three straight seasons and then won again in 2014 with his highest tally of 32 points a night.
Durant's mid-range game is lethal and the former MVP is close to shooting at an average of 50% from the field throughout his career. He has also improved his three-point game and shot a personal best 45% from downtown this year.
In November 2012, Durant became the second-youngest NBA player to reach 10,000 career points and also became the second-youngest to reach 20,000 six years later.
#1 LeBron James
Who else but LeBron James would we expect to see atop a scoring chart? James is the youngest NBA player ever to reach 10,000, 20,000 and 30,000 points during his 18-year career.
He entered the NBA as an 18-year old, was named Rookie of the Year and has averaged at least 25 points a season ever since. He led the league in scoring during the 2007-08 campaign, though that is not his highest tally for a season since he put up 31.4 points a game two years earlier.
James reached the 10,000 point milestone when he was more than a year younger than Kobe Bryant at the age of 23 years and 59 days and it is going to take some effort to beat.
Update: Jayson Tatum became 10th youngest players to reach 10,000 NBA points on 4th November, following his 32 point effort against Nets. He is the youngest player to 10k points for the Celtics.