NBA Players with the Highest Scoring Averages in Playoffs in Their Rookie Season
Explore the NBA players who delivered the best stats ever in a 1st NBA season, ranked by playoff points per game. See how the all-time greats compare in this top-50 historical list.
Year: 1st /
Other years
Which NBA player averaged the most points in the Playoffs in his rookie year?
Playing for the 1970 Milwaukee Bucks, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar averaged 35.2 points in 10 games — the highest playoff scoring average by any NBA player in his 1st season.
Points Per Game, Rookie Season
35.2 ppg
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
(1970 Milwaukee Bucks)
Note: No game minimums were used for this list / 
= NBA champion in this season.
Points Per Game in a Player's Rookie Season - Top 50
Playoffs
| Points | Other stats | ||||||||
| Rk | Player
(Team) |
Per Game | Total | Gms | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | 3pm |
| 1 | (1970 Bucks) |
35.2 | 352 | 10 | 16.8 | 4.1 | - | - | - |
| 2 | (1960 Warriors) |
33.2 | 299 | 9 | 25.8 | 2.1 | - | - | - |
| 3 | (1949 Lakers) |
30.3 | 303 | 10 | - | 2.1 | - | - | - |
| 4 | (1985 Bulls) |
29.3 | 117 | 4 | 5.8 | 8.5 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 0.3 |
| 5 | (1977 76ers) |
27.3 | 518 | 19 | 6.4 | 4.5 | 2.2 | 1.2 | - |
| 6 | (1987 Pacers) |
27.0 | 108 | 4 | 8.3 | 5.0 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 7 | (1969 Rockets) |
25.8 | 155 | 6 | 13.8 | 0.8 | - | - | - |
| 8 | (1967 Lakers) |
25.7 | 77 | 3 | 4.3 | 5.0 | - | - | - |
| 9 | (1959 Lakers) |
25.5 | 331 | 13 | 12.0 | 3.3 | - | - | - |
| 10 | (1970 Suns) |
25.4 | 178 | 7 | 13.9 | 5.9 | - | - | - |
| Points | Other stats | ||||||||
| Rk | Player
(Team) |
Per Game | Total | Gms | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | 3pm |
| 11 | (1980 Trail Blazers) |
25.0 | 75 | 3 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
(1978 Suns) |
25.0 | 50 | 2 | 8.5 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | - | |
(1977 Spurs) |
25.0 | 50 | 2 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | - | |
| 14 | (1977 Nuggets) |
24.7 | 148 | 6 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 0.7 | - |
| 15 | (2018 Jazz) |
24.4 | 268 | 11 | 5.9 | 4.2 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 2.3 |
| 16 | (1990 Spurs) |
24.3 | 243 | 10 | 12.0 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| 17 | (1978 Bucks) |
24.0 | 216 | 9 | 12.4 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 1.9 | - |
| 18 | (1993 Hornets) |
23.8 | 214 | 9 | 9.9 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 3.4 | 0.0 |
| 19 | (1947 Rebels) |
23.7 | 71 | 3 | - | 1.7 | - | - | - |
| 20 | (1996 Trail Blazers) |
23.6 | 118 | 5 | 10.2 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.0 |
| Points | Other stats | ||||||||
| Rk | Player
(Team) |
Per Game | Total | Gms | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | 3pm |
| 21 | (1976 76ers) |
23.0 | 69 | 3 | 13.7 | 4.0 | 0.3 | 1.3 | - |
| 22 | (1961 Lakers) |
22.9 | 275 | 12 | 8.7 | 5.3 | - | - | - |
| 23 | (1957 Celtics) |
22.9 | 229 | 10 | 11.7 | 2.0 | - | - | - |
| 24 | (1950 Olympians) |
22.8 | 137 | 6 | - | 2.0 | - | - | - |
| 25 | (1967 Hawks) |
22.6 | 203 | 9 | 5.3 | 1.7 | - | - | - |
| 26 | (1947 Warriors) |
22.2 | 222 | 10 | - | 0.3 | - | - | - |
| 27 | (1977 Nuggets) |
22.0 | 132 | 6 | 9.7 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | - |
(1971 Hawks) |
22.0 | 110 | 5 | 5.2 | 4.8 | - | - | - | |
| 29 | (1986 Jazz) |
21.8 | 87 | 4 | 7.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 30 | (1957 Lakers) |
21.4 | 107 | 5 | 6.0 | 7.6 | - | - | - |
| Points | Other stats | ||||||||
| Rk | Player
(Team) |
Per Game | Total | Gms | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | 3pm |
| 31 | (1980 Celtics) |
21.3 | 192 | 9 | 11.2 | 4.7 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.4 |
(1997 Timberwolves) |
21.3 | 64 | 3 | 4.0 | 7.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 2.0 | |
| 33 | (1977 Trail Blazers) |
21.2 | 403 | 19 | 9.9 | 4.2 | 1.5 | 1.2 | - |
| 34 | (1985 Rockets) |
21.2 | 106 | 5 | 13.0 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 0.0 |
| 35 | (1975 Supersonics) |
20.7 | 186 | 9 | 10.7 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 2.0 | - |
(1998 Spurs) |
20.7 | 186 | 9 | 9.0 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 2.6 | 0.0 | |
| 37 | (1951 Warriors) |
20.5 | 41 | 2 | 10.0 | 1.5 | - | - | - |
(1950 Capitols) |
20.5 | 41 | 2 | - | 3.0 | - | - | - | |
| 39 | (1989 Warriors) |
20.1 | 161 | 8 | 7.3 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| 40 | (1962 Warriors) |
20.1 | 241 | 12 | 11.5 | 2.7 | - | - | - |
| Points | Other stats | ||||||||
| Rk | Player
(Team) |
Per Game | Total | Gms | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | 3pm |
| 41 | (1963 Pistons) |
20.0 | 80 | 4 | 15.8 | 1.5 | - | - | - |
(1982 Nets) |
20.0 | 40 | 2 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | |
| 43 | (2009 Bulls) |
19.7 | 138 | 7 | 6.3 | 6.4 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| 44 | (1979 Trail Blazers) |
19.7 | 59 | 3 | 10.3 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 1.7 | - |
| 45 | (1992 Warriors) |
19.3 | 77 | 4 | 8.3 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| 46 | (1953 Bullets (1st)) |
19.0 | 38 | 2 | 4.0 | 5.5 | - | - | - |
| 47 | (1962 Nationals) |
18.8 | 94 | 5 | 11.0 | 1.4 | - | - | - |
| 48 | (1979 76ers) |
18.8 | 169 | 9 | 3.9 | 7.0 | 4.1 | 0.4 | - |
| 49 | (1977 Rockets) |
18.8 | 225 | 12 | 16.9 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.8 | - |
(1985 Mavericks) |
18.8 | 75 | 4 | 12.8 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | |
(1969 Bullets) |
18.8 | 75 | 4 | 18.5 | 1.3 | - | - | - | |
* The NBA began recording rebounds in 1951, steals and blocks in 1974, and added the 3-point line in 1980.