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Scoring is one of the most essential skills for a basketball player, and many of the NBA's all-time greats have mastered the art.
LeBron James is one of the few players with many scoring records in the league. However, was he the fastest ever to achieve those feats in terms of games played?
Fastest NBA players to reach 20,000 career points
King James (35,318 points scored) is likely to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's historic tally of 38,387 career points in the regular season to become the all-time leader in points in NBA history.
While he first needs to catch Karl Malone (36,928) for second place, James' durability and immense ability will probably get him somewhere near 40,000 points.
However, this article is not about the all-time scoring list but about those players who reached 20,000 faster in their NBA career (in terms of regular-season games played).
Only 46 players have reached 20,000 points in their NBA careers, but these 10 were the fastest to do it.
#10 Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is arguably the best scorer in today's NBA and has taken home four scoring titles throughout his NBA career. He also became the 10th-fastest player to reach 20,000 career points back on January 10th, 2018, when he was a member of the Golden State Warriors.
Durant achieved this feat in his 737th career game. He also became the second-youngest player to reach 20,000 points in the NBA after LeBron James.
Durant's career average of points per game (27.04) is the fourth-best in NBA history and the best among active players. He has scored 23,848 points in his career and sits 26th in the all-time list.
#9 Shaquille O'Neal
Arguably the most dominant player in the history of the NBA, Shaquille O'Neal was a unique force in the paint and is the ninth-fastest player to reach 20,000 career points (727 games).
The center reached the mark in a game against the Sacramento Kings in 2003. He was playing for the LA Lakers and was already a three-time champion and three-time Finals MVP.
O'Neal finished his career with 28,596 points and is still eighth in the all-time table.
#8 LeBron James
LeBron James is the eighth-fastest player to reach 20,000 points (726 games), though he was the youngest to do so.
James, the third-best all-time scorer statistically, reached 20,000 points on January 16th, 2013, in a game against the Golden State Warriors. He became the youngest to do so after beating Kobe Bryant's previous record.
Though the King is not widely regarded as a scorer, and some would say his best ability is his passing, the four-time MVP is certainly a tremendous scorer who averaged 27 points per game in his career (sixth-best in NBA history).
#7 Jerry West
Jerry West was a tremendous basketball player throughout his 14 seasons in the NBA and is now the seventh-fastest player to reach the 20,000 mark in the regular season (717).
West led the NBA in scoring once in his career (1969-70 season) and put up 25,192 points in his regular-season career. He also averaged 27.03 points per game in his career, the fifth-best number in NBA history.
#6 Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson played 14 NBA seasons and left his mark on the game with his scoring and style. Iverson won a regular-season MVP and took home four scoring titles throughout his career.
Iverson retired with 24,368 points in his career and is 25th on the all-time list. He also averaged 26.7 points per game during his trajectory (which included seven All-NBA selections) and ranks seventh in NBA history in terms of points per game for a career.
He reached 20,000 career points in 713 games.
#5 Elgin Baylor
The legendary Elgin Baylor was one of the greatest players in NBA history, and his greatness should not be undermined because he did not win a championship.
In 14 years in the league, Baylor made the All-Star team 11 times and also received 10 All-NBA selections.
A prolific scorer, he put up 23,149 points throughout his career and remains the fifth-fastest to reach 20,000 career points (711 games).
Though he never led the league in scoring, Baylor's career average of points per game (27.4) is the third-highest in NBA history.
#4 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
The all-time leading scorer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, had arguably the most unstoppable move of all time, the skyhook. That move helped Abdul-Jabbar win six NBA championships and six MVPs in his career.
He is the fourth-fastest player to reach 20,000 points in the NBA (684 appearances).
Kareem ended his NBA career with 38,387 points in the regular season, and his record remains untouchable since April 5th, 1984.
Abdul-Jabbar averaged 24.6 points per game throughout his 20-year career in the league. The 19-time All-Star (record) is also the all-time leader in field goals made, with 15,837 (only one three-pointer).
#3 Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson is one of the best point guards in NBA history and should be praised more for all his achievements. Though his triple-double records are all falling to Russell Westbrook's feet, Robertson's career was unique.
He averaged 25.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists throughout his career and was the only player to average a triple-double for a full NBA season until 2017, when Russell Westbrook started his unique run.
Robertson was also the all-time leader in triple-doubles with 181, but Westbrook also took that record.
Robertson was essential for the Milwaukee Bucks' run to the 1971 NBA championship, as he was the team's most experienced starter alongside sophomore Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (who was clearly the best player on the team).
Along with his many records, Robertson remains the third-fastest NBA player to reach 20,000 career points (he did it in 671 appearances).
#2 Michael Jordan
Arguably the greatest player in NBA history, Michael Jordan scored the first 20,000 points of his regular-season career in his first 620 games.
The six-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls went on to lead the NBA in scoring a record 10 times during his career, and he won five regular-season MVPs and six Finals MVPs.
Ultimately, Jordan retired with 32,292 career points and the highest average of points per game in NBA history (30.12).
#1 Wilt Chamberlain
When it comes to scoring in the NBA, Wilt Chamberlain holds most of the records. An incredible force in the paint throughout his NBA career, Chamberlain put up stunning stats throughout the 1960s, and his scoring prowess from the early years of his career will not be matched any time soon.
Chamberlain reached 20,000 points in his NBA career in only his 499th career game. His scoring has always been phenomenal, as his 100-point game against the New York Knicks on March 2nd, 1962, clearly shows.
However, his average of 50.4 points throughout the 1961-62 NBA season might be even more impressive than his 100-point game.
Another big example of Wilt's incredible scoring ability are the 118 50-point games of his career, an untouchable record that has Michael Jordan as the next closest player (31 games of 50 points).
Also read: 2021 NBA Free Agency: 5 teams that should target Victor Oladipo in the summer
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