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Defense in the NBA has always been adorned with offense taking a back seat, but scoring has brought more flair and interest to the game in recent years.
This exclusive club speaks to a well-rounded player with outstanding scoring points, rebounds, and assists. There's been a conversation about LeBron James making the club as he already has 35,367 points and 9,696 assists although he is lagging in his rebounds (9,751). Even if he secures 400 rebounds per season in the next four NBA seasons, James will need 3,649 more rebounds to make the club. However, James is favorite to beat all-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as he is 3,020 points away. With 1,126 points scored last season, James can surpass the record in the next three seasons.
The following are the only three members of the NBA's 25,000 points, 15,000 rebounds, and 4,000 assists club.
3. Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan is one of three members of the NBA's 25,000 points, 15,000 rebounds, and 4,000 assists club, having secured 26,496 points, 15,091 rebounds, and 4,225 assists. The former San Antonio Spurs center, who played his whole career at the Spurs averaged 19 points, 10.8 rebounds, and three assists.
Duncan, who was Spurs' first overall pick in 1997, won the Rookie of the Year award in 1998. He was instrumental in helping the Spurs win their first NBA title in 1999, averaging 24 points and 17 rebounds in the NBA finals, earning the finals Most Valuable Player award.
Duncan snatched the MVP award in the 2001-02 season, registering 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a single season, after recovering from a knee injury that ended his season the previous year and forced him off the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team. The following season, The Big Fundamentals put up a stellar performance that saw him score a triple-double (21 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists) in the decisive sixth game to take home his second finals MVP award and the NBA title for his team.
In 2020, Duncan was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
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2. Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain is considered to be one of the greatest NBA offensive players of all time in some circles. The seven-foot center had an outstanding career record of 31,419 points, 23,924 rebounds and 4,643 assists, making him the number two member of the exclusive club, only topped by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He achieved this in only 1,045 games played.
The former LA Lakers superstar, who was never fouled out of a game, has a career average of 30.1 points, 22.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He is the record holder for the most points in a single game in NBA history, having scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Part of Chamberlain's highlight includes the center scoring 56 or more points in the regular season for a record 61 times.
Wilt the Stilt holds the NBA record for the top four single-season averages in the history of the game. Averaging 50.4 points in the 1961-62 season, 44.8 points (1962-63 season), 38.3 points (1960-61 season), and 37.6 points at the 1959-60 league season.
Chamberlain was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978.
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the record for the all-time leading scorer with 38387 points in NBA history. He leads this exclusive club with 17440 rebounds and 5660 assists to his name. The seven-foot-two-inch center started his professional basketball career at age 22 and bowed out at 41 years of age, playing 19 seasons. Abdul-Jabbar had an incredible fitness regimen that saw him put up an average of 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in his final season.
As a kid, the 19-time NBA All-Star was seen as a freak being extremely taller than his peers. Coming out of high school, his offensive prowess developed as he set a scoring record for renowned coach John Wooden with 56 points in his very first game for UCLA. He went on to help UCLA secure three National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships from 1967 through to 1969. While he was at UCLA, he only lost two games during his stay. Due to his height, the collegiate basketball committee made dunking illegal and lifted the ban after Abdul-Jabbar graduated.
Abdul-Jabbar joined the NBA in the 1969-70 season, representing the Milwaukee Bucks, and was awarded Rookie of the Year. The following year, the Bucks won the championship with Abdul-Jabbar leading the league in scoring with 31.7 points per game and a total of 2,596 points. He joined the Lakers in 1975 and won five NBA championships. The six-time MVP has a career average of 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists.
