NBA Honors: Scoring Leaders, Year by Year

This is the complete list of NBA players that led the league in points, year by year.

Current Scoring Leader:

Luka Doncic
2023-24 Scoring Leader

NBA Honors: Scoring Leader

Since the 1969-70 NBA season, the leading scorer is determined by points per game. Previously, from 1946-47 through the 1968-69 season, the NBA scoring leader was the player with more total points at the end of each season.

Afer Michael Jordan averaged 35.0 points in 1987-88, only 2 players have broke the 35-point mark: Kobe Bryant in 2005-06 and James Harden in 2018-19.

Three players from the 2003 Draft have led the NBA in scoring: Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony, and 3 former teammates Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden were the scoring leaders in 9 of the last 14 seasons. In 2016 Stephen Curry made more three-pointers than anybody in NBA history to become the top scorer.

Scoring Leaders: by Year / by Player / by Team

NBA Champions = NBA Champion that same year

NBA Scoring Leaders Year by Year

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Season	Player	Team	Points Per Game	Total Points	Games
2023-24	Luka Doncic	Dallas Mavericks	33.9	2,370	70
2022-23	Joel Embiid	Philadelphia 76ers	33.1	2,183	66
2021-22	Joel Embiid	Philadelphia 76ers	30.6	2,079	68
2020-21	Stephen Curry	Golden State Warriors	32.0	2,015	63
2019-20	James Harden	Houston Rockets	34.3	2,335	68
2018-19	James Harden	Houston Rockets	36.1	2,818	78
2017-18	James Harden	Houston Rockets	30.4	2,191	72
2016-17	Russell Westbrook	Oklahoma City Thunder	31.6	2,558	81
2015-16	Stephen Curry	Golden State Warriors	30.1	2,375	79
2014-15	Russell Westbrook	Oklahoma City Thunder	28.1	1,886	67
2013-14	Kevin Durant	Oklahoma City Thunder	32.0	2,593	81
2012-13	Carmelo Anthony	New York Knicks	28.7	1,920	67
2011-12	Kevin Durant	Oklahoma City Thunder	28.0	1,850	66
2010-11	Kevin Durant	Oklahoma City Thunder	27.7	2,161	78
2009-10	Kevin Durant	Oklahoma City Thunder	30.1	2,472	82

Season	Player	Team	Points Per Game	Total Points	Games
2008-09	Dwyane Wade	Miami Heat	30.2	2,386	79
2007-08	LeBron James	Cleveland Cavaliers	30.0	2,250	75
2006-07	Kobe Bryant	Los Angeles Lakers	31.6	2,430	77
2005-06	Kobe Bryant	Los Angeles Lakers	35.4	2,832	80
2004-05	Allen Iverson	Philadelphia 76ers	30.7	2,302	75
2003-04	Tracy McGrady	Orlando Magic	28.0	1,878	67
2002-03	Tracy McGrady	Orlando Magic	32.1	2,407	75
2001-02	Allen Iverson	Philadelphia 76ers	31.4	1,883	60
2000-01	Allen Iverson	Philadelphia 76ers	31.1	2,207	71
1999-00	Shaquille O'Neal	Los Angeles Lakers	29.7	2,344	79
1998-99	Allen Iverson	Philadelphia 76ers	26.8	1,284	48
1997-98	Michael Jordan	Chicago Bulls	28.7	2,357	82
1996-97	Michael Jordan	Chicago Bulls	29.6	2,431	82
1995-96	Michael Jordan	Chicago Bulls	30.4	2,491	82
1994-95	Shaquille O'Neal	Orlando Magic	29.3	2,315	79
1993-94	David Robinson	San Antonio Spurs	29.8	2,383	80
1992-93	Michael Jordan	Chicago Bulls	32.6	2,541	78

Season	Player	Team	Points Per Game	Total Points	Games
1991-92	Michael Jordan	Chicago Bulls	30.1	2,404	80
1990-91	Michael Jordan	Chicago Bulls	31.5	2,580	82
1989-90	Michael Jordan	Chicago Bulls	33.6	2,753	82
1988-89	Michael Jordan	Chicago Bulls	32.5	2,633	81
1987-88	Michael Jordan	Chicago Bulls	35.0	2,868	82
1986-87	Michael Jordan	Chicago Bulls	37.1	3,041	82
1985-86	Dominique Wilkins	Atlanta Hawks	30.3	2,366	78
1984-85	Bernard King	New York Knicks	32.9	1,809	55
1983-84	Adrian Dantley	Utah Jazz	30.6	2,418	79
1982-83	Alex English	Denver Nuggets	28.4	2,326	82
1981-82	George Gervin	San Antonio Spurs	32.3	2,551	79
1980-81	Adrian Dantley	Utah Jazz	30.7	2,452	80
1979-80	George Gervin	San Antonio Spurs	33.1	2,585	78
1978-79	George Gervin	San Antonio Spurs	29.6	2,365	80
1977-78	George Gervin	San Antonio Spurs	27.2	2,232	82
1976-77	Pete Maravich	New Orleans Jazz	31.1	2,273	73
1975-76	Bob McAdoo	Buffalo Braves	31.1	2,427	78

Season	Player	Team	Points Per Game	Total Points	Games
1974-75	Bob McAdoo	Buffalo Braves	34.5	2,831	82
1973-74	Bob McAdoo	Buffalo Braves	30.6	2,261	74
1972-73	Tiny Archibald	Kansas City-Omaha Kings	34.0	2,719	80
1971-72	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	Milwaukee Bucks	34.8	2,822	81
1970-71	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1)	Milwaukee Bucks	31.7	2,596	82
1969-70	Jerry West	Los Angeles Lakers	31.2	2,309	74
1968-69	Elvin Hayes	San Diego Rockets	28.4	2,327	82
1967-68	Dave Bing	Detroit Pistons	27.1	2,142	79
1966-67	Rick Barry	San Francisco Warriors	35.6	2,775	78
1965-66	Wilt Chamberlain	Philadelphia 76ers	33.5	2,649	79
1964-65	Wilt Chamberlain	San Francisco Warriors / Philadelphia 76ers	34.7	2,534	73
1963-64	Wilt Chamberlain	San Francisco Warriors	36.9	2,948	80
1962-63	Wilt Chamberlain	San Francisco Warriors	44.8	3,586	80
1961-62	Wilt Chamberlain	Philadelphia Warriors	50.4	4,029	80
1960-61	Wilt Chamberlain	Philadelphia Warriors	38.4	3,033	79
1959-60	Wilt Chamberlain	Philadelphia Warriors	37.6	2,707	72
1958-59	Bob Pettit	St. Louis Hawks	29.2	2,105	72

Season	Player	Team	Points Per Game	Total Points	Games
1957-58	George Yardley	Detroit Pistons	27.8	2,001	72
1956-57	Paul Arizin	Philadelphia Warriors	25.6	1,817	71
1955-56	Bob Pettit	St. Louis Hawks	25.7	1,849	72
1954-55	Neil Johnston	Philadelphia Warriors	22.7	1,631	72
1953-54	Neil Johnston	Philadelphia Warriors	24.4	1,759	72
1952-53	Neil Johnston	Philadelphia Warriors	22.3	1,564	70
1951-52	Paul Arizin	Philadelphia Warriors	25.4	1,674	66
1950-51	George Mikan	Minneapolis Lakers	28.4	1,932	68
1949-50	George Mikan	Minneapolis Lakers	27.4	1,865	68
1948-49	George Mikan	Minneapolis Lakers	28.3	1,698	60
1947-48	Max Zaslofsky	Chicago Stags	21.0	1,007	48
1946-47	Joe Fulks	Philadelphia Warriors	23.2	1,389	60

(1) When he won the award his name was Lew Alcindor. He changed it to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after the 1970-71 season.