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Durability, consistency and leading your side to a championship are the hallmarks of some of the NBA's greatest players. Being a clutch shooter or a master of getting to the line are good traits but having the basketball IQ to read the game and the tenacity to compete for every rebound is what separates the good players from the truly great ones.
Of course, there are those who have won multiple titles, averaged around 20 points a game over a few seasons and had multiple All-Star call-ups over their careers. However, there are some who can say that they carried their sides to greatness and have etched their names into the NBA's top-ten players of all-time.
While that list is heavily debated, the five players we will outline here have tallied a staggering 30,000 points, 5,000 rebounds and 5,000 assists during their career and are all certainly in the mix.
Listing the NBA's 30,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, and 5,000 assists club members
#1 Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan was possibly the most-feared opponent in NBA history and is still regarded as the G.O.A.T. of basketball by many.
Jordan was tireless in his pursuit of greatness and if you weren't prepared to face his competitiveness in practice, you weren't fit to play for the Chicago Bulls. He asked a lot of his teammates but in return offered them the chance to play for titles and was trusting of those around him. You only have to look at the Bulls' crunch Game Six victory against the Utah Jazz in 1997 when Jordan passed the ball to Steve Kerr for him to sink the winner with five seconds to spare.
Throughout his 15 seasons in the NBA, Jordan amassed an incredible 32,292 points. Although this puts him fifth overall for points scored on this list, he has the highest points per game average out of our top five players, with a staggering 30.1 per night. What makes his tally even more impressive is the fact that Jordan played less than 20 games in two campaigns due to injury.
Despite playing alongside serial rebounder Dennis Rodman for a number of years, Jordan also grabbed his fair share of boards. Before Rodman joined the Bulls, Jordan even registered 15 triple-doubles in the 1988-89 season. So it's no surprise to note that he amassed 6,672 rebounds over his career at a rate of 6.2 per game along with 5,633 assists.
#2 Kobe Bryant
The late, great Kobe Bryant's influence on the game of basketball is evident throughout the NBA. It is seen in the ferocious two-way play from the likes of Jimmy Butler and Jayson Tatum, the mid-range shooting from Kawhi Leonard and the clutch-shot making and off-court perspective of Kyrie Irving.
Bryant's legacy will live on for generations, as too will his stats as one of the NBA's greatest scorers. Bryant averaged 30 points or more per game in three separate campaigns and even produced a ridiculous average of 35.4 points per contest in the 2005-06 season. He knew how to step up on the biggest occasions too, putting up over 30 points a night in five playoff runs.
Bryant ended his career having amassed 33,643 points and treated fans to one last masterclass in his final game, where he poured in 60 points against the Utah Jazz.
But it wasn't just his scoring that made Bryant a winner. He knew how to get others on his team going and was one of the meanest defenders in the game, making 12 NBA All-Defensive teams. Bryant dished out a total of 6,306 assists - the second-most on this list - and grabbed 7,047 rebounds.
Also Read: Kobe Bryant’s net worth, salary, endorsements and more
#3 LeBron James
One of the most-famous sportsmen of his generation, LeBron James is an icon of the NBA for his all-round ability and leadership skills. Although he is no longer the hyper-athletic slasher off the wings, dunking on and bullying his opponents in the paint, James has adapted his game to make him one of the enduring greats of the game.
James does not proclaim himself to be a passer, but is arguably one of the best distributors the game has ever seen. He even led the league in assists during his 17th campaign in 2019-20 with 10.2 per game. James' on-court intelligence and ability to read the game makes him a threat even if you can stop him shooting the ball.
He has also improved his three-ball production, which was a minor flaw in the early stages of his career. In the last two seasons, James has taken more threes than in any other campaign (6.3 per game in each) and connected with 35.6% of them.
It is no surprise James made it onto this list and he is arguably the most well-rounded player here. In three of the past five seasons, he has grabbed more than 12 triple-doubles throughout the year. James also ranks third here and overall in NBA history for points scored with 35,367. He is in the top ten of All-Time for assists (8th) with 9,696 and has registered 9,751 rebounds as well.
LeBron James could soon become the only member of the 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists club.
#4 Karl Malone
A former adversary of Michael Jordan, Karl Malone made greatness look effortless. Standing at 6'9" and weighing 250lbs, Malone was a wrecking ball as he charged to the rim with little opposition players could do to stop him.
Although he never won an NBA championship, thwarted on multiple occasions by Jordan's Bulls, Malone had a Hall-of-Fame career. He was the league's MVP on two occasions, was a 14-time All-Star and also made it to four All-Defensive teams. From the 1986-87 season to the 1994-95 one, Malone averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. Although his rebounding fell slightly off later on, the Utah Jazz legend continued to put up 20+ points a night until his last season.
Malone was also an extremely durable player, playing 80+ games in 17 seasons, including 13 straight campaigns. In his other two campaigns, he played over 40 times. In his 18 NBA seasons with the Jazz and one with the LA Lakers alongside Bryant, Malone produced 36,928 points, 14,968 rebounds (7th-most of all-time) and 5,248 assists.
#5 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
An LA Lakers legend and arguably the greatest center of all-time, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it all during his 20-year career in the NBA.
After a rookie campaign for the ages, averaging 28.8 points and 14.5 rebounds, Abdul-Jabbar went on to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to their first-ever championship. It took 50 years for a similarly-built player to do so with the Bucks a second time.
Abdul-Jabbar was a menace on both ends of the floor, known for his unstoppable jump-hook shot, which is still replicated in the NBA today, and for his rim protection. He led the league in blocks on four occasions, averaging over four blocks a game in two campaigns, and was on 15 All-NBA teams. Abdul-Jabbar was also a six-time MVP of the league and six-time champion as part of the dominant Lakers side of the 1980s alongside Magic Johnson.
Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA's all-time leading scorer with an incredible 38,387 points, though he could be knocked off the top if LeBron James is able to last another few years in the league. He also ranks third overall in rebounds with 17,443, averaging as many as 16.9 per game in the 1975-76 season. Abdul-Jabbar's assist tally stood at 5,645 when he retired from the NBA.
Guess the Lakers players!
