With Durant’s arrival on the list of players to reach 27,000 career points, he became the 11th former MVP and 10th NBA champion to do so. He is also the 10th former Finals MVP to reach the milestone except for Karl Malone and Carmelo Anthony who are also the only ringless players on the list.

Now that the trends have been set, it is time to reveal the fastest players in NBA history to reach 27,000 career points.

12. Moses Malone – 1,245 Games

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After two seasons in the ABA in 1975 and 1976, Moses Malone broke into the NBA ranks with the Buffalo Braves for the 1976-77 season. It took all of two games for Malone to be shipped to Houston with the Rockets where he would spend the next six seasons. In those six seasons, Malone would record 11,119 points in 464 games played, averaging 24.0 points per game. During this time with the Rockets, Malone would win two MVP awards along with five All-Star selections.

From Houston, Malone would head to Philadelphia where he captured his first NBA championship and Finals MVP award in 1983. He would also capture his third MVP award with the Sixers during the same season. In five years with the Sixers, Malone would record 7,511 points while averaging 21.0 points per game on 47.6% shooting from the floor.

Over the next six seasons, Malone would play various seasons for the Hawks, Bullets, and Bucks. During this time, he averaged 18.2 points per game on 47.5% shooting. Toward the end of 1991-92 with the Bucks, Malone would reach the 27,000-point mark in his 16th NBA season and 1,245th career game. Malone finished his career with 27,409 points which ranks 10th in NBA history.

11. Elvin Hayes – 1,239 Games

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Just six games separate Moses Malone and Elvin Hayes and the time it took them to reach 27,000 career points. Hayes came into the NBA with the Houston Rockets in 1968 as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. In four seasons with the team, Hayes would score 27.4 points per game while winning the scoring title in his rookie season and recorded a total of 8,996 points.

Over the next nine seasons, Hayes would spend his career with the Baltimore/Washington Bullets. During this time, Hayes would average 21.3 points per game on 45.8% shooting for a total of 15,551 points. In 1978, Hayes would help lead the Bullets to their only championship in franchise history, averaging 21.8 points per game in the playoffs and 19.7 points per game in the regular season.

After the 1980-81 season, Hayes would return to Houston to finish his career where it started with the Rockets. It would not be until his final season in 1984 that Hayes would reach the 27,000-point mark averaging just 5.0 points per game in 81 appearances primarily off the bench. Hayes finished his career with 27,313 points which ranks 11th in NBA history.

10. Dirk Nowitzki – 1,199 Games

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Dirk Nowitzki played his entire 21-year career with the Dallas Mavericks from 1999 through 2019. Throughout his career, Nowitzki became the greatest big-man shooter in NBA history standing 7’0’’ tall, armed with a signature one-legged fadeaway that was nearly impossible for opponents to defend.

For his career, Nowitzki did not win any scoring titles but was a model for consistency on the offensive end of the floor. He recorded five different 2,000-point seasons during his career as well as 12 seasons with at least 1,500 points. Nowitzki would go on to capture an MVP award in 2007 as well as an NBA championship and Finals MVP award in an epic upset win over the Miami Heat.

Nowitzki would end up reaching the 27,000-point mark in his 17th season in 2014-15 just 11 games into the year. Nowitzki would finish his career with 31,560 career points which are sixth in NBA history and is one of only seven players to reach 30,000 points in his career.

9. Carmelo Anthony – 1,162 Games

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For most of his career, Carmelo Anthony was as elite as they come scoring the basketball. He was a lethal three-level scorer who punished opponents with his immaculate pot and mid-range game. Anthony got his career started with the Denver Nuggets where he played eight seasons from 2004 through 2011. In his Nuggets career, Anthony averaged 24.8 points per game and recorded a total of 13,970 points in 564 games.

From Denver, Anthony moved on to the New York Knicks where he would spend the next seven seasons. Anthony would capture his only career scoring title with the team in 2013 and earned an All-Star selection every year he was with the team. Anthony would record 10,186 points with the Knicks during his time there and averaged 24.8 points per game. After New York, Anthony would have stops in Oklahoma City and Portland before reaching 27,000 career points in 2021 with the Trail Blazers.

In his career, Anthony recorded two seasons with at least 2,000 points and 12 seasons with at least 1,500 points. In total, Anthony finished with 28,289 points which ranks ninth in NBA history.

8. Shaquille O’Neal – 1,082 Games

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Shaquille O’Neal is the most physically dominant player in NBA history. During his early days with the Orlando Magic, O’Neal hit the ground running from the moment he hit the NBA in 1992-93. In his first four seasons with the Orlando Magic, Shaq would win one NBA scoring title in 1995 while also leading the Magic to their first Finals appearance in 1995. He would go on to score 8,019 points in those four seasons with an average of 27.2 points per game.

O’Neal would move on to the Lakers in 1996-97 where he would spend the next eight years of his career. During these eight careers is when Shaq hit his dominant peak, winning his second scoring title, and first MVP award, and led the Lakers to three straight NBA titles from 2000-2002 and won all three Finals MVP trophies. During his time in Los Angeles, O’Neal recorded 13,895 points with a scoring average of 27.0 points per game.

Over the next five seasons, Shaq would play for both the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns. In that time, he recorded 4,705 points, reaching the 27,000-point mark in 2009 with Phoenix. Overall in his career, O’Neal would score 28,596 points which ranks eighth in NBA history as one of the greatest scoring centers ever.

7. Kobe Bryant – 1,069 Games

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For 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant became one of the most iconic scorers and overall players in NBA history. Taking what he learned from the great Michael Jordan, Bryant would go on to help the Lakers win five NBA championships during his career as well as capture two Finals MVP awards and one MVP award.

Bryant’s most incredible scoring stretch occurred during the mid-late 2000s when he tried to navigate losing his teammate Shaquille O’Neal and get the Lakers back into title contention. From the time Shaq left in 2004-05 to when Bryant captured his fifth title in 2010, he recorded 13,575 total points with two scoring titles in 2006 and 2007.

By the end of his career, Bryant recorded eight seasons with at least 2,000 points including four seasons in which he led the NBA in total points. Bryant also added 13 seasons with at least 1,500 points during his 20 seasons. He ended his career with 33,643 points, good enough for the fourth-most in NBA history.

6. Karl Malone – 1,023 Games

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Karl Malone joins Carmelo Anthony on this list as the only two players to reach 27,000 points and fail to capture an NBA championship. Malone’s consistent ability to score the basketball was on full display from 1986 through 2003 with the Utah Jazz where he went on to win two MVP awards and lead them to two NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998.

Over the course of 18 seasons with the Utah Jazz, and one with the Los Angeles Lakers, Malone recorded 12 seasons with at least 25.0 points per game and 13 seasons with at least 2,000 points scored. It took Malone just 12 and a half seasons to reach the 27,000-point mark. His scoring began to slow down at that point until his final season with the Lakers in 2003-04. Malone has scored the third-most points in NBA history with 36,928 and is one of just three players to reach 35,000 points in their careers.

5. LeBron James – 995 Games

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Of the 12 players in NBA history to record 27,000 total career points, there have only been five to reach that mark in fewer than 1,000 games played. The first one of these players is LeBron James who hit the mark in 995 career games during the early stages of the 2016-17 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

James’ journey as a scorer started with the Cavaliers from 2004 through 2010 where he scored 15,251 points and captured two MVP awards and a scoring title. In the following four seasons with the Miami Heat, James 7,919 points averaging 26.9 points per game while leading Miami to two championships with two Finals MVP awards while also adding a third and fourth MVP award to his trophy case.

In his second stint with the Cavaliers, James would follow up his 2016 upset championship victory by reaching 27,000 points early the next season. Over the next six years, he would remain consistent until he ultimately became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in 2022-23 with the Lakers. There is nobody in NBA history with the longevity and consistency as a scorer like LeBron James whose 38.829 points continue to grow in his 21st season in the NBA, defying the laws of nature as we know them.

4. Kevin Durant – 993 Games

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Now, we get to the most recent player to join the 27,000-point club in Kevin Durant who accomplished the feat in two fewer games than James did in his career. Durant has been a scoring machine since entering the NBA in 2007-08 with the Seattle SuperSonics who would later become the Oklahoma City Thunder. In his first nine seasons, Durant would win four scoring titles, an MVP award, and record 17,566 points.

After the 2015-16 season, Durant would pull one of the most traitorous moves in NBA history by joining the Golden State Warriors. In the next three seasons, Durant would lead the team to two NBA titles with two Finals MVP awards, recording 5,374 points in those three seasons. Durant followed up his stay in Golden State with the Brooklyn Nets where he went on to record 3,744 points in those three seasons which really only amounted to two thanks to injury.

In his 17th season in 2023-24 with the Phoenix Suns, it would take just four games for him to reach 27,000 points and pass Hakeem Olajuwon for 12th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Durant has recorded six seasons with at least 2,000 points over the last 17 seasons as well as 12 seasons with at least 1,500 points. Had it not been for an Achilles injury, Durant could be chasing LeBron James right now for the top spot in NBA history. With the injury, he still has the opportunity to reach at least fifth place by the time his career is over.

3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 965 Games

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During the early stages of his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was one of the greatest offensive forces the NBA has ever seen. In six years with the Bucks from 1970 through 1975, Kareem would win two scoring titles, three MVP awards, an NBA title, and a Finals MVP award. Also during this time, Kareem would record 14,211 points for a scoring average of 30.4 points per game.

After the 1975 season, Kareem would be dealt to the Lakers in one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history. In the next 14 years, he would win five more NBA championships with the Lakers, adding three more MVP awards and one more Finals MVP award. He would record 24,176 points, passing Wilt Chamberlain in 1984 for the NBA’s all-time scoring record. He would hold onto that record for the next 38 seasons until LeBron James broke it in 2022-23.

2. Michael Jordan – 852 Games

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Michael Jordan being second on this list of greats only adds to his argument as the greatest scorer in NBA history. His NBA-record 30.1 points per game, 10 scoring titles, and 49.7% career shooting percentage are the meat of the argument but his place here brings it all together. In 13 seasons with the Chicago Bulls, Jordan averaged 31.5 points per game on 50.5% shooting from 1985 through 1998 all while taking off two seasons and leading the Bulls to six NBA championships in six appearances with six Finals MVP awards.

It took Jordan just 852 games or 11-plus seasons to reach 27,000 points in his career. He reached 29,277 points in 13 seasons with the Bulls overall including two seasons in which he played 17 games or less and two seasons he did not play. Jordan would return to the NBA with the Wizards for the 2002 and 2003 seasons, finishing his career with 32,292 points for fifth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Michael Jordan was a scoring anomaly with one 3,000-point season, 11 2,000-point seasons, and 13 1,500-point seasons. On top of six NBA titles and six Finals MVPs, Jordan also added five MVP awards, a Defensive Player of the Year award, and nine All-Defensive First Team selections.

1. Wilt Chamberlain – 780 Games

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There has been no player in NBA history to dominate the offensive side of the ball when it comes to scoring as Wilt Chamberlain did in the first 10 seasons of his career. It took Wilt Chamberlain just 780 games to reach 27,00 points which gave him a scoring average of 34.6 points per game.

In the first seven seasons of his career, Chamberlain rewrote the history books with seven straight scoring titles to begin his career along with an NBA record 50.4 points per game scoring average in 1961-62. In just 13 seasons of play with the Warriors, Sixers, and Lakers, Chamberlain was able to score 31,419 points in his career, making him one of two players ever to average 30.0 points or more in their careers.

In NBA history, Chamberlain is still the only player to ever record at least 4,000 points in a season. He also recorded three 3,000-point seasons and seven 2,000-point seasons in 14 years. He ranks seventh in NBA history with 31,419 points, reaching 27,000 points in just his 11th season in the NBA.