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The NBA is home to numerous talents, which is why you need to be remarkable to stand out from the pack. However, few players found their scoring touch early and went on to dominate the league.
Some players have been more fortunate than others as their NBA careers kicked off earlier than most. With the 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement prohibiting the drafting of players straight from high school, reaching the top of this list might be a tad difficult moving forward.
While most young players are still finding their footing in the NBA, some are already embarking on a scoring spree. Luka Doncic is one such player as he took the league by storm in his rookie season. At 19, he led the Dallas Mavericks in scoring, averaging 21.2 points.
That said, let's take a look at the top five NBA youngest players to average 30+ points per game in a season.
#5 Rick Barry - 22 years
The NBA has seen so many great scorers, and Rick Barry ranks high on that list. He was selected by the San Francisco Warriors in the 1965 draft and immediately made his mark.
The Miami Greyhound, as he was fondly called, made an NBA All-Star appearance in his rookie season and finished that campaign averaging 25.7 points. He exploded for 35.6 points per game in his sophomore year, making him the scoring champion for the 1966-67 season.
Barry put 39 past the Detroit Pistons to lead the Warriors to a 135-127 victory, closing the season with a W. On the day of their final game, he was 22 years, 356 days old. To date, he is the only player to reach 50 points in a Game 7 of the NBA playoffs.
#4 Walt Bellamy - 22 years
Walt Bellamy was selected by the Chicago Packers in the 1961 NBA Draft and averaged 31.6 points in his rookie season. Unfortunately for him, he played in an era where the great Wilt Chamberlain was playing his best basketball.
He was second on the scoring list behind Chamberlain, who averaged 50.4 points that season.
While most players go on an upward trajectory after such an impressive start in the NBA, the opposite was Bellamy's case. His season averages continued to plummet throughout his 14-year career. Regardless, his 31.6-point average came when he was only 22 years and 233 days old.
#3 Bob McAdoo - 22 years
After an impressive rookie run, Bob McAdoo led the NBA in scoring with a 30.6-point average in his second year. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bullets in 1972 and played only four seasons with them.
Although he led the league in scoring on two other occasions with higher averages, this was the most noteworthy as it came at a young age. By the time he played his final game of the 1973-74 NBA season, he was 22 years and 182 days old.
McAdoo moved around the league during his 14-year run and finally found championship success with the LA Lakers. Although he was the second-choice center behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, he was a significant contributor to their winning two NBA titles.
#2 Kevin Durant - 21 years
Kevin Durant is the youngest NBA scoring champion in league history, following his 30.1 average in the 2009-10 season. He was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics in 2007 and has since established himself as one of the most lethal scorers in the league.
The four-time scoring champ reached his first 30-point average in his third season in the NBA. That same year, he made his first All-Star appearance and led the Oklahoma City Thunder to their first postseason run since 2005. Durant was 21 years and 197 days old on his final game day.
#1 LeBron James - 21 years
LeBron James was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA draft when he was only 19. He led the Cavs in scoring that season, averaging 20.9 points.
It took LeBron three seasons to cross the 30+ point mark. Regardless, he was the youngest player at the time to do it. He finished the 2005-06 season, averaging 31.4 points.
Although it was an incredible feat, he was the third-best scorer behind Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant. James' only other 30-point average came in the 2007-08 NBA season, where he was the scoring leader. At the end of the 2005-06 season, LeBron was 21 years, 110 days old.
Guess the Bulls players in this quiz and it's not going to be easy!
