About This Quiz
The different eras in basketball have certainly influenced the amount of scoring that takes place on the court. However, no matter the era, players capable of putting up 50 or more points in a game enter into an exclusive club that not many players reach during their NBA career. They are taking themselves from being simply offensive weapons to the category of elite scorers.
After all, 50 points is nearly half of the points scored by a single team during a game, and it takes a gifted player to earn the confidence of a team to give them the ball enough times to reach the 50-point mark. It's easy when a player is a star in the league like Michael Jordan or LeBron James, but several lesser-known players have reached the mark also, as their hot hand was ridden on a given night.
How well do you know the players who had the confidence and skill to score over 50 points in a game? When we show you an image, are you going to be able to tell us who the 50-point scorer is? Here's a quiz for you to find out.
If you're ready for the challenge, get started and see if you can score big on this quiz!Â
Wilt Chamberlain set several NBA records during his time in the league, but few were as impressive as the 48.5 minutes per game he averaged during the 1961-62 season. That's more points per game than there are minutes in a game without counting overtime.
Kobe Bryant spent the early part of his career playing alongside Shaquille O'Neal. Wanting his own team instead of playing second fiddle, Bryant forced O'Neal out of Los Angeles and took over as the leader of the team.
David Thompson was an incredible college player who led NC State to an undefeated season in 1973. However, the team was held out of the playoffs due to a recruiting violation surrounding Thompson.
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Despite reaching several NBA Finals, Elgin Baylor never won an NBA championship during his time in the league. In an odd turn of events, the Lakers won the NBA championship the same year that he retired a few games into the season.
David Robinson teamed up with Tim Duncan, who the Spurs drafted in 1997. Together, the two formed a dominant duo down low, particularly on defense, where they were known as "The Twin Towers."
Drafted in 2015, Devin Booker has been a dominant scorer since entering the league, averaging nearly 25 points in the 2017-18 season. However, his individual success has not translated into wins for the Suns.
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From All-Star appearances to MVP awards, Michael Jordan accomplished it all during his time in the league. One of his greatest accomplishments, however, was going 6-0 in the NBA Finals.
Pete Maravich was a gifted scorer during his time in the NBA, but his career was eventually hampered by injuries. In his final year in the league, Maravich only played in 43 regular season games.
Rick Barry was named the NBA Finals MVP when he won the championship with the Golden State Warriors in 1975. The Warriors dominated the series, defeating the Bullets in only four games.
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Joe Fulks was a scary scorer during the early years of the NBA. The legendary power forward helped innovate the modern jump shot, which has since become a staple across the league.
Jerry West is the only NBA player to win the Finals MVP on the losing team, which he won in 1969 when the Lakers lost to the Celtics. West averaged 38 points in a series that went seven games.
George Gervin spent the first five seasons of his professional career playing in the American Basketball Association. Gervin finally joined the NBA when it merged with the ABA in 1976.
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Tracy McGrady proved he was an offensive weapon when he won back to back scoring titles in 2003 and 2004. In his best season, which was 2002-03, McGrady averaged 32 points per game.
While his friends were joining forces in Miami, Carmelo Anthony elected to join the New York Knicks in 2010. The move paid off for his pocketbook, but he was never able to win a championship with the Knicks.
Standing at 6 feet, 10 inches, George Mikan dominated the early NBA due to his exceptional size. He was an excellent rebounder and shot blocker, which left his contemporaries in awe.
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Karl Malone was never the greatest pure shooter, but he sure knew how to get to the basket and put the ball in the hole. With an excellent assist man like John Stockton, Malone was able to average 25 points throughout his career.
From 2011 until 2018, LeBron James went to eight straight NBA Finals, winning three of them. His greatest accomplishment in the Finals was coming back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
Since joining the Houston Rockets in 2012, James Harden has been one of the greatest offensive threats in the NBA during the regular season. However, that success has yet to translate to the playoffs, where he is still looking for his first start in the NBA Finals.
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Despite leaving the NBA in 1993, Bernard King missed the cut for the Hall of Fame for several years of his eligibility. He was finally elected in 2013 alongside greats like Roger Brown, Gary Payton and Guy Lewis.
Shaquille O'Neal came into the NBA on fire, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 1993. That season, the legendary center averaged over 23 points and nearly 14 rebounds per game.
Larry Bird had a bitter but friendly rivalry with Earvin "Magic" Johnson that started when they played against one another in the NCAA championship. Johnson got the better of Bird in that matchup, but Bird would get his revenge years later in the NBA Finals.
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An electric dunker, Tom Chambers was elected to four All-Star games during his NBA career. He won the All-Star game MVP award in his first appearance in 1987, while representing the Seattle SuperSonics.
Gilbert Arenas' 60 points against the Lakers is a franchise record for the Washington Wizards. Arenas played for the Wizards from 2003 until 2010, when he was traded to the Orlando Magic.
Klay Thompson had one of the most memorable 60-point games in NBA history in 2016. Playing against the Pacers, Thompson scored 60 points in 29 minutes while only dribbling the ball 11 times.
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Though the crossover dribble had been around for years, Allen Iverson perfected the move during his time in the league. Defenders trembled in fear anytime they were left one-on-one against the gifted guard.
Kemba Walker played three seasons of college basketball at UConn, where he won the NCAA championship in 2011. Walker was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player for his role in winning the championship.
Steph Curry almost single-handedly revolutionized the NBA with his three-point shooting ability. The gifted point guard was one of the first players to pull up from anywhere past half court, forcing defenders to crowd him earlier than they would like.
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar finished his NBA career as the all-time leading scorer, so it's no wonder that he had 10 50-point games in his career. Of course, part of the reason he was able to score so many points was because he played 20 season in the league.
Dominique was such a skilled dunker that he won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest twice during his career, in 1985 and 1990. He won the 1985 contest by defeating Michael Jordan, who came in second place.
Kevin Durant departed from the Oklahoma City Thunder after failing to win a title during the first half of his career there. When Durant left OKC, he joined the Golden State Warriors, a championship team led by Steph Curry.
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In 2017, Russell Westbrook became only the second person in the history of the NBA to average a triple double for the season. The accomplishment was part of why he was named the NBA MVP that year.
Damian Lillard started all 82 games his rookie season, averaging over 38 minutes per game. Lillard was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team after averaging 19 points and 6.5 assists throughout the season.
Retiring in 2005, Reggie Miller ended his NBA career as the all-time leader in three pointers, finishing with 2,560. He was later passed by Ray Allen, who retired with 2,973 three pointers made.
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LaMarcus Aldridge was elected to his third All-Star game as a San Antonio Spur in 2019. The talented big man has been to seven All-Star games in total, his first four with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Realizing his team wouldn't make the playoffs, Anthony Davis requested a trade prior to the 2019 trade deadline. The Lakers made a strong pitch to acquire Davis, but the Pelicans decided to hold on to their star player until the offseason.
Still a rising talent, Kyrie Irving won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 while playing alongside LeBron James. Hoping to establish his own legacy, Irving forced the team to trade him a year later.
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Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon is often overlooked when talking about the greatest centers of all time. With 12 All-Star appearances and two NBA championships, he definitely deserves to be in that conversation.
Antawn Jamison spent his college career at the University of North Carolina, where he won the Naismith College Player of the Year award in 1998. He went on to be the number four pick in the 1998 NBA draft.
Moses Malone was part of a Philadelphia 76ers team that lost only a single game in the 1983 NBA Playoffs. They went 4-0 against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, as Malone won his only championship.
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Playing for the St. Louis Hawks, Bob Pettit won the very first NBA MVP award in 1956. That season, Pettit averaged over 25 points and 16 rebounds per game, leading the league in both categories.