With the 2017 NBA All-Star game coming up, it’s a good opportunity to check out the 10 greatest scorers in the history of the league’s exhibition night. All 10 players are absolute legends, with only one player among the current active crop, who’ll also make an appearance in the upcoming game: LeBron James.
10. Wilt Chamberlain: 191 points
The 1960 All-Star game MVP, Chamberlain made 13 All-Star appearances, averaging 14.7 points, with a career-high 42 points in the 1962 game while he was still playing for the Warriors.
9. Shaquille O’Neal: 202 points
O’Neal played in 12 All-Star games although he was selected to it 15 times. He won 3 MVP awards (2000, 2004, 2009), averaging 16.8 in his appearances. He scored 25 points in 1996, his All-Star career high, but the MVP went to Michael Jordan.
8. Elgin Baylor: 218 points
Baylor made the All-Star game 11 times, all as a starter, averaging 19.8 points per game. He won the 1959 AS Game MVP, and scored in double digits in all but his final All-Star appearance. His All-Star high was 32 points in 1962.
7. Julius Erving – 221 points
The Doctor won the All-Star Game MVP award twice (1977, 1983), and that’s without counting his days in the ABA. He had 11 NBA All-Star appearances and five in the ABA. He averaged 20.1 points per game on All-Star nights, including a career-best 34 points in 1984.
6. Bob Pettit: 224 points
Pettit was an All-Star in every single one of his seasons in the NBA (11), winning the All-Star game MVP four times. He averaged 20.4 points (along with 16.2 rebounds) during his All-Star performances.
5. Oscar Robertson: 246 points
An All-Star in 12 of his 14 NBA seasons, he also won the MVP award for the game 3 times (1961, 1964, 1969). Robertson averaged 20.5 points in his All-Star appearances, peaking with 28 points in 1965.
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 251 points
Probably the best player without an All-Star MVP award, Kareem played in a record 18 All-Star games (selected to 19), averaging 13.9 points in them. His best performance came in 1984 with 25 points and 13 rebounds.
3. Michael Jordan: 262 points
Jordan won 3 All-Star MVPs in his 13 appearances over the years (14 selections), picking up the award in 1988, 1996 and 1998. He averaged 20.2 points per game in All-Star nights, including a 40-point performances in 1988.
2. Kobe Bryant: 290 points
A four-time All-Star Game MVP (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011), Bryant finished his career with 15 All-Star appearances and 18 selections. He averaged 19.3 points per game on All-Star night, including 37 points in 2011 when he took a whopping 26 shots on his way to the award.
1. LeBron James: 291 points
The all-time leading scorer in All-Star games, and he has quite a few more to go. Right now, the only one who stands a chance of catching up with him is Kevin Durant, who has a slightly better scoring average in these games. James’ 24.3 points average in All-Star games is 4th best ever, and he has two MVP awards: In 2006 and 2008.