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Efficiency plays a key role in success rates in the NBA. But if you attempt 20 shots every night, even ten missed shots translate to a 50% field-goal efficiency.
Some of the most celebrated names in the game reached heights of success by bludgeoning opponents with their incessant shot-making. Nevertheless, they also missed a staggering number of shots during their careers.
On that note, here's a look at the ten players who have missed at least 12,000 field goals in the NBA. The list includes some of the most lethal scorers to have ever played the game. So without further ado, let's get started:
#1 Kobe Bryant - 14,481
In a regular-season NBA game in November 2002, the LA Lakers faced their eternal rivals the Boston Celtics. The Lakers were thwarted by a slim 98-95 margin. The highest scorer in the game was Kobe Bryant. His 41-point tally came off 47 field-goal attempts.
Despite missing an unbelievable 30 shots, Black Mamba could still convert 17 field goals and had a perfect shooting spree from the free-throw line.
Bryant holds the record for the most field goals missed by an NBA player. He is the only player to reach the 14000-mark.
#2 John Havlicek - 13,417
Boston Celtics legend John Havlicek was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.
Havlicek, a 13-time All-Star, won eight championships while playing for the Boston Celtics. A formidable scorer before the advent of the three-point line, his career average of 20.8 points and 6.3 rebounds is as impressive as it gets.
He is one of a handful of players to have scored over 25,000 points. However, Havelick also missed over 13000 field goals during his career that spanned 1270 games.
#3 Elvin Hayes - 13,296
Elvin Hayes, another Hall of Famer, started his NBA career with the San Diego Rockets. He missed over 13000 field-goal attempts throughout his career.
He played four seasons with the team, including one after the team relocated to Houston and renamed the Houston Rockets. In his rookie NBA campaign, Hayes averaged 28.4 points per game, which is the fifth-best scoring season by a rookie in the history of the league. In fact, he was a scoring champion in his debut year.
For a player averaging such incredible numbers, the number of shots the Rockets legend attempted and missed every night was staggering.
In his first two years in the NBA, Hayes, a one-time NBA champion, averaged 25 field-goal attempts per game. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that on the night of January 19, 1971, the former 12-time All-Star lodged a spectacular 40-shot attempt, missing 27 of them.
#4 LeBron James - 12,701
LeBron James has ruled the NBA for close to two decades now. He is often considered the greatest player of all time, with a long list of achievements under his belt. Now a Laker, James is a four-time NBA champion. and has won a ring with every team he has played for.
LeBron has missed nearly 13,000 field-goal attempts in his 1310-game NBA career. The former Cleveland Cavaliers star missed 401 field goals in the 2020-21 season. There is a high probability that LeBron James could join the 13,000 missed FGs club in 2021-22.
#5 Karl Malone - 12,682
The Karl Malone-led Utah Jazz were the greatest obstacle in the Chicago Bulls' quest for a second three-peat. The two NBA giants met in consecutive finals. Despite Karl Malone's stunning performances, the Bulls won both NBA .
Malone has gone down in history as one of the greatest players never to win the championship. Mailman's career-high tally of missed field goals came during a 1988 regular-season game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Jazz legend attempted 33 shots in the match, but missed a whopping 22 of them. During his career, he missed over 12,000 field goals.
#6 Dirk Nowitzki - 12,565
Dirk Nowitzki is arguably the greatest 7' 0" shooter in NBA history. The Dallas Mavericks legend attempted a total of 23,734 field goals in his illustrious career, converting 11,169 of those attempts.
Nowitzki, a 14-time NBA All-Star, is undoubtedly the best player to ever play for the Mavs. He led his team to their only championship win, and often bullied opponents with his unstoppable fade-away.
#7 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 12,470
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, an LA Lakers legend, began his career with the Milwaukee Bucks. He set multiple records as a player. His career points tally of 38,387 remains unmatched to this date. A prolific scorer, Jabbar had a skyhook shot that is considered the most lethal offensive move by any player in NBA history.
The six-time NBA champion (five times with the Lakers and one with the Bucks), Abdul-Jabbar was fearless when he attacked the basket. His tally of 28,307 field-goal attempts during his career is a testament to his lack of fear of missing a shot. He missed nearly 13,000 field goals in 1560 games.
#8 Michael Jordan - 12,345
Michael Jordan, the legendary NBA superstar, is synonymous with perfection. There has never been a player that took over the basketball world the way Jordan did. Jordan oozed greatness. He is widely acknowledged as one of the first truly global stars of the NBA.
A shooting guard, he led the league in scoring for seven consecutive seasons, doing so from 1986-87 to 1992-93. He did so again from 1995-96 to 1997-98. Even at the age of 39, Jordan averaged 20 points and 6.1 rebounds a game. Black Jesus recorded an incredible 12,192 field goals in his career.
Nevertheless, Jordan had his fair share of missed shots too. His Airness missed over 12,000 field goals.
#9 Carmelo Anthony - 12,120
Drafted in 2003, Carmelo Anthony began his NBA career with the Denver Nuggets and averaged a phenomenal 21 points in his rookie season. Without a championship despite having a prolific career, Melo has joined the LA Lakers to try and win one.
Known for being a beast in isolation plays, the aging NBA star has missed over 12,000 field goals during his career. As he is still active, he could climb further up this list, and possibly overtake Jordan.
One game that stands on top of Anthony's field-goal missing list happened in January 2016. The then New York Knicks star missed 21 field goals in 49 minutes.
#10 Vince Carter - 12,046
In December 2000, Vince Carter, while playing for the Toronto Raptors, played a Lakers squad that included Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Horace Grant.
Even though the Raptors lost that game 104-101, Carter scored 31 points and gathered 12 rebounds. However, Air Canada also missed 22 of his 32 field-goal attempts that night, a career high.
In his 22-year long NBA career, Carter established himself as one of the greatest dunkers and three-point shooters in league history. A fearless player, he missed over 12,000 field goals during his NBA career.
