Who has the most 30-point games in NBA history?
Some of the best basketballers to ever play in the NBA were prolific scorers who delivered for their teams when it mattered the most. Over the years, only around 31 NBA players have spent entire seasons averaging more than 30 points per game.
While this might help those players earn the MVP award for the regular season, the greatest basketballers have a habit of coming up with big numbers during the playoffs.
Hence, it will not come as a surprise that it is LeBron James who has the most number of 30-point games in the playoffs, with 118. He is followed closely by Michael Jordan, who played 109 NBA playoff games in which he scored at least 30 points.
Of course, LeBron has already played more than 70 more playoff games than the Chicago Bulls’ legend, which means that between the two it is Jordan who had been more prolific during the playoffs.
Who has the highest number of 30-point games in NBA history?
NBA legend Michael Jordan holds the record for the most 30-point games in the league’s history. He played in a staggering 562 games in which he scored at least 30 points.. Considering the fact that Michael Jordan played only 179 playoff matches, his overall record seems more impressive.
Jordan was a 6-time NBA champion and a 6-time Finals MVP, and made two returns from retirement. He is followed on the list by another bonafide NBA legend in the form of Wilt Chamberlain, who is often regarded as the greatest scorer the league has ever seen.
The 13-time All-Star played in 516 games where he scored 30 points or more, which is no surprise considering the fact that Chamberlain spent his entire career averaging slightly more than 30 points per game. He holds a number of scoring records, and famously produced 50.4 points per game during the 1961-62 NBA season. He is one of only two players to have won the NBA MVP award as a rookie.
Third on the list for the most 30-point games in NBA history is none other than the modern GOAT LeBron James, who is bound to improve on his overall number of 475 games with at least 30 points over the next few years. James has played a total of 260 playoff matches and has a fair chance of getting to the top of this list by the time he finishes his career.
14-time All-Star Karl Malone was nicknamed “The Mailman” and was a two-time NBA champion with the Utah Jazz. He finished his career with 435 30-point games and is fourth on the overall list. Malone is followed by LA Lakers’ legend and arguably the league's greatest ever player, Kobe Bryant, who rounds up the top 5 with a total of 431 30-point games in the NBA.
Another Jordan record about to be broken
With LeBron entering his 20th year in the NBA, he has cemented himself as one of the greatest scorers ever. Becoming the All-Time Points leader and continuing to add to it with each game he plays, LeBron is bound to pass Jordan on the most 30-point games in NBA history list. Currently, LeBron has 534 30-point games under his belt, only 28 games short of the No. 1 spot. At the level at which LeBron is still playing, it won’t be long before he breaks Michael Jordan's record.