Can You Identify These NBA Legends With the Most Points per Game in a Single Season?

Only three players in NBA history have won back-to-back-to-back MVP awards: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird. He averaged 29.9 points per game during the 1987-88 season and also won three championships with the Boston Celtics.

Only six players in NBA history have scored 70 or more points in a game, and Kobe's 81-point game in 2006 is the second-highest in history. Wilt Chamberlain is the only player to ever score more when he dropped 100 against the Knicks in 1962.

Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game against the Knicks and averaged 50.4 points per game during the 1961-62 NBA season. He lost to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and Boston won its fourth consecutive championship. Despite Chamberlain's historic season, Bill Russell won the MVP award.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the only player with more points than Karl Malone. The Mailman played most of his career in Utah with John Stockton before heading to LA to create a super team with the Lakers. Unfortunately, he was never able to win a championship.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has scored the most points in NBA history with 38,387. He averaged almost 35 points per game during the 1971-72 NBA season, but the Bucks failed to return to the championship that season.

Michael Jordan missed his second season in the NBA because of injury, so his third year in the league was just his second NBA season. He became the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to score more than 3,000 points in a season and averaged more than 37 points per game.

The 1961-62 NBA season was one of the craziest. Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points per game and actually scored 100 points in a game. Oscar Robertson became the first person to average a triple-double for an entire season.

There have only been five recorded quadruple-doubles in NBA history, and the most recent one happened in 1994. Robinson is also one of just six players in NBA history to score more than 70 points in a game.

Michael Jordan was on the verge of his third consecutive NBA MVP in 1993 when Charles Barkley had other plans. Jordan led the league in scoring that year but Barkley was named league MVP. The two met in the NBA Finals and Jordan averaged a record 41 points per game and led Chicago to its third consecutive championship.

Only Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan are recognized as better shooting guards than Dwyane Wade. Wade became famous after his triple-double performance against Kentucky to propel Marquette to the Final Four. It was the school's first trip in 30 years and just the fourth recorded triple-double in March Madness history.

The 1992-93 NBA season is one of the most legendary. Jordan and the Bulls won their third consecutive championship. Charles Barkley won the NBA MVP award and Shaquille O'Neal was the No. 1 draft pick. Shaq went on to break two backboards in his rookie year.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is more commonly known as the "Greek Freak," and he has enough talent to play every position of the basketball court. He was named NBA MVP in 2019 and also averaged almost 28 points per game that season.

Russell Westbrook became the first person to average a triple-double for an entire season since Oscar Robertson in 1962. Westbrook also led the league in scoring that season with 31.5 points per game. He was named the league's MVP.

Carmelo is most remembered for his championship run at Syracuse University as a freshman. He entered the NBA in the same draft class as LeBron and was famously selected third after Darko Milicic. Milicic is considered one of the biggest busts in NBA history.

Kevin Durant is one of the best basketball players in the world, and his 32 points per game in 2014 puts him on a list alongside the greatest. Only 12 players in history have a higher single-season average and Durant's playing days are far from over.

Dominique Wilkins led the league in scoring in 1986 but is mostly remembered for winning the dunk contest in 1985 and 1990. The 5'7'' Spud Webb became the shortest dunk contest winner in history when he beat Wilkins in 1986. Michael Jordan famously jumped from the free-throw line to beat Wilkins in 1988.

Pete Maravich scored 44.2 points per game while playing shooting guard at Louisiana State University. He led the NBA in scoring when he averaged 31.1 points per game in 1977. He earned his nickname, "Pistol Pete," for his flashy style of play.

Jerry West's nicknames include "The Logo" and "Mr. Clutch." West appeared in nine NBA Finals and only won once, but he's still considered one of the league's best players. He led the league in scoring in 1970 with 31.2 points per game.

Patrick Ewing averaged 28.6 points per game in 1990, but it wasn't enough to win a championship. Ewing and the Knicks were stopped by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls for the rest of the decade, but Ewing is beloved in the city.

James Harden is one of the game's most prolific scorers, and he's led the league in scoring twice. Only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan have averaged more points per game than him over a single season. Harden averaged 36 points per game in the 2018-19 season.

The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors won 73 games that season and are considered one of the greatest teams of all time. Steph Curry made 402 three-pointers while averaging 30 points a game, but the team ultimately lost to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

Rick Barry proved the underhand shot (aka diaper shot, aka granny shot) worked when he retired with a .900 free throw percentage in 1980. He averaged 35.5 points per game during the 1966-67 season. Only Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden have averaged more.

George Gervin got his "Iceman" nickname by being as cool as ice on the basketball court. His signature shot was his finger-roll layup that delicately rolled over the top of any defender's fingers. Gervin averaged more than 33 points per game in 1980.

Nobody could stop the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers led by Kobe and Shaq. The team swept everyone it faced in the postseason except for the Philadelphia 76ers led by Allen Iverson. The 76ers won one game that was immortalized when Iverson hit a jump shot and stepped over Tyron Lue.

Bernard King was drafted in the first round of the 1977 NBA Draft and quickly became one of the game's better players. By 1984-85, he was leading the league in scoring with 32.9 points a game. He played for six teams during his career.

John Havlicek was drafted in 1962 by the Boston Celtics and played his entire career with the franchise. The only two players who have more championships than Havlicek are teammates Bill Russell and Sam Jones. Russell and Jones were Celtics before Havlicek arrived.

Isaiah Thomas stands just 5 feet, 9 inches tall and is currently the shortest player in the NBA. He averaged nearly 29 points per game in 2016, which sneaks him into the top 100 single-season averages in history. He also made his first NBA All-Star appearance that season.

Nate "Tiny" Archibald became the only player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring and assists in 1973. He averaged 34 points per game and 11.4 assists per game that season. He scored 51 points and dished out 14 assists in a game against the Rockets early in the season.

Tracy McGrady started his career in Toronto playing with his cousin Vince Carter on the Raptors. He moved to Orlando where he led the league in scoring twice. He averaged 32 points per game during the 2002-03 NBA season.

Bob McAdoo led the league in scoring for three consecutive seasons from 1974 to 1976. He also helped the LA Lakers win two championships in 1982 and 1985. He averaged 34.5 points during the 1974-75 season.

Although David Thompson, Carmelo Anthony, Dan Issel and Dikembe Mutombo all played for the Denver Nuggets, Alex English is regularly considered the greatest player in franchise history. He averaged 29.8 points per game during the 1985-86 season.

Jerry Stackhouse never won a championship and isn't commonly listed among the greats, but he did average 29.75 points per game in 2001, which is enough to put him on a short list of prolific scorers. Stackhouse played 18 seasons in the NBA.

Before entering the NBA, Dantley rose to fame as a freshman at Notre Dame University. His squad historically beat John Wooden and UCLA in 1974 to end UCLA's 88-game win streak. Geno Auriemma and the UConn Women's basketball team broke the record in 2010 after 89 consecutive wins. UConn holds the record today with 90 consecutive wins.

Walt Bellamy averaged 31.5 points per game during the 1961-62 season, but that's the same year Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points per game, so Bellamy didn't win the scoring title. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award that season.

Spencer Haywood risked his career and fought for his right to earn a paycheck by taking his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The court ruled Haywood could play in the NBA although he hadn't played four years of college.

Elgin Baylor is one of the best basketball players the NBA has seen but he was never able to win a championship. He led his team to the finals eight times and was an 11-time NBA All-Star. He averaged nearly 35 points per game in 1961, but Wilt Chamberlain averaged more than 38.

Bob Pettit was drafted out of LSU in 1954 and went on to win the championship in 1958. He led the league in scoring in 1956 and 1959, but his highest-scoring season was 1961-62 when he averaged 31.1. points per game.

Moses Malone averaged 31.1 points per game in 1982 and won the NBA championship in 1983. He faced off against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the championship series and grabbed twice as many rebounds as Abdul-Jabbar.

Jack Twyman was drafted in 1955 and he averaged 31.1 points per game in the 1959-60 season. Twyman and Wilt Chamberlain were the first two players to accomplish the feat. Chamberlain scored 37.6 points per game that season.