Where does Michael Jordan rank among the top NBA scoring leaders?
The Chicago Bulls’ iconic No. 23 is often compared to Lebron James when it comes to debating who is the greatest basketball player ever.
When thinking about the greatest boxing fighter ever, Muhammad Ali comes up in the minds of the fans, in tennis, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal or Novak Djokovic seem the obvious choice, in football, Tom Brady, and when speaking about basketball, the name of Michael Jordan is always there too.
Jordan played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six Championships with the Chicago Bulls, and was one of the most decisive players of all time.
He made his NBA debut during the 1984-85 NBA season. After 10 seasons with the Bulls, he won the Championship three times.
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After that, Jordan announced his retirement at the age of 32. However, he came back to join the Bulls again and went on to win three more consecutive Championships, before announcing his second retirement in January 1999.
The two-time Olympic Games gold medal winner retired in 2003, when he was a Washington Wizards player, at the age of 40.
Jordan: a scoring machine
His Airness doesn’t have the record for most points scored in the NBA ever. He’s the fifth-greatest scorer of all time but his performances and his ability to score went down in the history books.
Jordan’s career high in points was a road game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He finished the night with 69 points (62.2 FG percent), 18 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, and one block in one of the greatest performances in NBA history.
His 63-point game in a double overtime playoff game against the Boston Celtics, his 35 first-half points performance in 1992, and his 51 points at the age of 38 as a Wizards player were only some of his greatest feats during his unique career.
NBA’s Top 10 scorers of all time
- 10. Moses Malone (27,409)
- 9. Carmelo Anthony (28,289)
- 8. Shaquille O’Neal (28,596)
- 7. Wilt Chamberlain (31,419)
- 6. Dirk Nowitzki (31,560)
- 5. Michael Jordan (32,292)
- 4. Kobe Bryant (33,643)
- 3. Karl Malone (36,928)
- 2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387)
- 1. Lebron James (38,388)