The all-time top scorer for each NBA team is shown below. Every team has had at least one prolific scorer in their team history, even though some have had more luck than others. We will honor the top scorer on each NBA franchise on this list. Now let’s get going.
Utah Jazz: Karl Malone. (points: 36, 337)
The Jazz made it to the NBA Finals twice under the leadership of the explosive John Stockton and Karl Malone, but they were defeated by Michael Jordan’s Bulls both times. Malone, who ranks third all-time in the NBA scoring standings, earned the moniker “The Mailman” for his clutch plays during crucial stages of the match. He was quite skilled at finishing pick-and-roll plays and putting on forceful dunks.
Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant. (points: 33, 643)
The greatest Laker of all time by a wide margin, Bryant spent two decades with the purple and gold. Bryant modeled his game after Jordan and is the closet thing we’ve seen to Jordan since the GOAT himself. Kobe was great at draining midrange shots and the post fadeaway. A five-time champion, he won two scoring titles, the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest and was 2008 NBA MVP. Kobe and Shaquille O’Neal were the best duo of all-time, and their Lakers accomplished a rare three-peat from 2000-02.
Dallas Maverick: Dirk Nowitzki. (Points 31, 560)
The greatest German basketball player of all time, Nowitzki was loyal to the Mavericks until the end, spending 21 seasons in Dallas. When the Dirk and Steve Nash Mavs came to an end, Nowitzki was the Mavs’ lone superstar. The 2007 MVP had iconic playoff duels with the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. In 2011, Dirk put it all together and won the Mavs their first championship against the Miami Heat Big Three. He was crowned Finals MVP for his clutch performance. Before retiring, Dirk passed the torch to Luka Doncic, the Mavs’ new superstar. His go-to shot was the post-fadeaway.
Chicago bulls: Micheal Jordan. (Points: 29, 277)
The greatest of all time, Jordan won six championships, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, 10 scoring titles, one Defensive Player of the Year award and the 1985 Rookie of the Year award. He had to wait seven years to win his first ring thanks to Bird, Magic and the Bad Boy Pistons. It was well worth the wait. His acrobatic dunks and sneaker endorsement with Nike made him a global phenomenon. His story is told in “The Last Dance” on Netflix.
Houston Rockets: Hakeem Olajuwon. (Points: 26, 511)
The best all-around center of all time, Olajuwon was freakishly agile for a big man. He had great touch and could even shoot, showing off his range on multiple occasions. With Olajuwon at the lead, the Rockets launched, winning back-to-back championships in the ’90s. Olajuwon remains the NBA’s all-time leader in blocks and is near the top-10 all-time in every major statistic. A post-up powerhouse, Olajuwon’s signature move was the nigh-unstoppable Dream Shake.
San Antonio Spurs: Tim Duncan (points 29, 496)
The greatest power forward of all time, Duncan was a humble big man who turned the Spurs into winners. The five-time champion was an unselfish star who stuck to the fundamentals and kept his game simple. His team-first mentality helped teammates Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard become stars. A two-time MVP, he doesn’t get the love he deserves when the GOAT conversation comes up.
Indiana pacers: Reggie Miller (points: 25,279)
A clutch playoff performer, Miller was best known for knocking your favorite team out of the playoffs, especially if you were a Knicks fan, earning the nickname The Knick Killer in the process. An efficient three-point shooter in his time, he earned one 50-40-90 season in 1994. His rivalries with the Knicks and Bulls were ’90s basketball at its finest. In 2000, he led the Pacers to the NBA Finals, losing to the Shaq-Kobe Lakers.
Cleveland cavalier: LeBron James. (Points 23, 119)
You can’t look at the record books without seeing LeBron’s name. He spent his first seven seasons with the Cavaliers, turned into the superstar everyone thought he would, left for Miami to form The Big Three, and then came back to Cleveland to win the Cavaliers and his hometown their first pro sports championship in 52 years in the most memorable Game 7 in NBA history. The kid from Akron is an all-time great player and arguably the only other NBA players who could lay claim to being the GOAT. He can score driving to the rim, with his midrange jumper, in the post, and dunking. Whether the rest of the NBA was shooting midranges or draining threes, King James was always able to adapt to league changes.
Golden State warriors: Stephen Curry. (points: 21, 712)
Once his run at Davidson was over, Steph Curry drew concerns over his height, size and injury history. In other words, many teams didn’t want to draft him. The Warriors took a chance on him and the gamble paid off.
The greatest three-point shooter in NBA history, Curry proved the doubters wrong and built a dynasty with the Warriors, winning four rings in the process. He formed arguably the best backcourt ever with Klay Thompson: The Splash Brothers. Without him, there would be no such thing as small ball or 3-and-D players. He changed the way basketball is played forever. The best part is that he started out as the classic underdog. He’s easily one of the greatest point guards of all time.
Miami Heat: Dwayne Wade. (points: 21,556)
A member of the legendary 2003 NBA Draft class, Wade won three championships with the Heat — one with Shaquille O’Neal and two with LeBron James and Chris Bosh. The greatest player in franchise history, Wade was an unselfish star who let other stars come to the team to help him win. A top-five shooting guard of all-time, he grew up in Chicago watching Michael Jordan and tried to emulate him on the court. He was also a star player on the Redeem Team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, won the 2009 scoring title and won 2006 Finals MVP in a dominant showing against the Dallas Mavericks
Portland Trailblazer: Damian Lillard. (Points: 19,376)
The lone superstar in Portland for nearly his entire career, Lillard always puts the team on his back. A loyal player, he’s among the best point guards of his era, which is saying something because the 2010s were loaded with great players at the position. Besides a trip to the 2019 Western Conference Finals, Lillard hasn’t gone on many deep playoff runs with the Blazers. A clutch three-point shooter, he’s had several dramatic, game-winning moments in the playoffs.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Kelvin Garnet. (Points: 19,201).
When it comes to any Timberwolves franchise records, chances are Garnett is the record holder. Drafted out of high school, he galvanized the perennial losers and turned them into a playoff team. In 2004, Garnett won league MVP and led the Wolves to the Western Conference Finals. He left for the Boston Celtics in 2008 but retired with the Wolves in 2016.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Russell Westbrook.(points: 18,859)
At one point, the Thunder were loaded with talent. Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant led them to the NBA Finals in 2012, losing to the Miami Heat. Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets, and Durant signed with the Warriors — then the Thunder’s biggest rival. As the lone superstar, Westbrook became the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double in a season. He also led the league in scoring and won 2016-17 MVP honors. In total, he’s had four seasons where he averaged a triple-double and holds the record for most triple-doubles of all time. Statistically speaking, he’s one of the best point guards of his generation.
Milwaukee Buck: Gianis Antetokounmpo.(points 16,280)
When Antetokounmpo joined the league, he was seen as nothing more than a project player with potential. He grew up in Greece and came from nothing. He rose to the occasion, winning back-to-back MVPs and a championship with the Bucks in 2021. The last star to lead the Bucks to a ring was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar! The Greek Freak has kept the Bucks among the top teams in the East and continues to do so every season.
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