The NBA postseason has produced some brilliant thrillers thus far, with excellent performances from some well-known stars and up-and-coming youngsters. Today, we’re taking a look at the 10 players with the most points scored in NBA postseason history. Using career stats, we’re looking at the guys who have stepped up in the postseason consistently, as this requires not just a couple of good runs, but a lot of deep runs to accumulate games and scoring numbers.
To clarify, we are looking at ONLY postseason games played in NBA history, so we are excluding any and all ABA games due to the fact that the scoring environment was higher in that league than the NBA’s scoring environment in the years that they were in operation at the same time.
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10. Stephen Curry – 4,147 Points
While Stephen Curry is currently sidelined with an injury, the Golden State Warriors can thank their two-time MVP guard for their rise to glory. A 26.8 point per game scorer in his 155-game playoff career, Stephen Curry is a highly efficient scorer on the biggest stage and has guided his team to four NBA Finals Championships. That also includes two additional trips to the Finals, which he lost in 2016 and 2019, meaning that Curry has won the Western Conference in 60% of his playoff runs. Those points aren’t empty calories; Stephen Curry is an all-time great.
9. Jerry West – 4,457 Points
One of the greatest players in NBA history, Jerry West’s career-long tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers was so impactful that his silhouette would live forever in the league’s logo. While his Lakers only won a single NBA Finals in his illustrious 14-year career, his brilliance in the biggest moments should not be overlooked. West averaged 29.1 points per game on excellent efficiency across a 153-game career in the playoffs, as his scoring improved from the regular season while only seeing a minor decrease in True Shooting%. May he rest in peace.
8. Karl Malone – 4,761 Points
The Utah Jazz never got the job done with Karl Malone, despite him playing in 193 games throughout his postseason career, and while the points per game (24.7) and field goal percentage (46.3%) would seem to leave him as the victim of poor roster construction, he did have some postseason demons. It is impressive to have the combination of scoring volume and solid efficiency, but the problem is that his free-throw shooting was unreliable down the stretch, and he couldn’t space the floor.
7. Kevin Durant – 4,985 Points
While Kevin Durant’s postseason legacy might be tainted to some due to his departure to Golden State after the 2016 season, you cannot deny what he’s done during the playoffs. Recent years have made people forget his back-to-back Finals MVPs with the Warriors when he won those two titles there. He is averaging 29.3 points per game in the playoffs on strong efficiency, playing in 170 postseason games and reaching the Finals three times. Durant’s Suns did not qualify for the postseason this year, but it seems he’ll be heading somewhere this summer where he can climb this list further.
6. Tim Duncan – 5,172 Points
The Big Fundamental was an excellent regular-season player, and he maintained his scoring volume and efficiency in the postseason. With 251 games of postseason experience, Duncan was able to combine consistent scoring numbers with tons of volume, and his five NBA Titles with just one Finals loss is quite the resume to add to that. His Finals run in 2003 is one of the greatest ever, averaging 24.7 points per game while taking down some incredibly daunting opponents in the Western Conference. Tim Duncan is an all-time great, and his postseason play separates him from some peers.
5. Shaquille O’Neal – 5,250 Points
Shaquille O’Neal won three-straight Finals MVPs when the Los Angeles Lakers completed their three-peat alongside fellow Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant. His dominance in the regular season translated to the postseason, averaging 24.3 points per game in his 216-game playoff career and averaging an unbelievable 30-14-3 during that three-year run of Laker dominance. His efficiency was down, but not by a large number, and his volume would often increase scoring-wise, and with four titles to his name, Shaquille O’Neal will be a mainstay in any top 10 all-time ranking worth reading.
4. Kobe Bryant – 5,640 Points
Few players have their standing in NBA history debated as much as Kobe Bryant, as the Black Mamba’s game was defined by big scoring numbers but sometimes mind-numbing shooting volume. What cannot be debated is his postseason legacy, as the guard collected five titles and two Finals MVPs in his career. His scoring volume increased while his scoring efficiency remained the same in the postseason compared to the regular season, and with 220 playoff battles to his name, Bryant’s got one of the most decorated postseason resumes we will ever see.
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 5,762 Points
At a point in time, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the record for the most points scored in regular season history and the most points scored in postseason history. His dominance sometimes gets overlooked since the NBA was not as popular during his absolute peak years, but he had an insane Finals run in his second playoff run with the Bucks when he averaged 26.6 points per game with elite efficiency. Kareem led the postseason in points per game five different times, won six NBA titles, and was named Finals MVP in two of those six championship victories.
2. Michael Jordan – 5,987 Points
Michael Jordan is considered by some to be the greatest player in NBA history, and his postseason play makes about as good of an argument for it as you can imagine. He averaged an unbelievable 33.4 points per game in the postseason during his 179-game playoff career, with elite efficiency to go with six NBA Championships and six Finals MVPs, which may never be replicated again with the growing league parity. Jordan was unstoppable in the playoffs and could score 30+ points on any given night, regardless of opponent, a level of dominance we may never see again.
1. LeBron James – 8,289 Points
This is a record that I expect to see last for the rest of NBA history. LeBron James is, in my opinion, the greatest player in NBA history, and having this much of a leg up over the rest of the league in terms of points scored in the postseason is a testament to his excellent production and inhuman durability. A four-time Finals MVP and four-time NBA Champion, LeBron James sees his points per game go up in the postseason with elite efficiency, but what defines him are his legendary runs. He’s taken awful teams to the Finals, has slayed Goliaths, and has a career no one will ever match.