NBA Players with the Highest Scoring Averages in Their Rookie Season
Explore the NBA players who delivered the best stats ever in a 1st NBA season, ranked by regular season 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 Regular Season in his rookie year?
Playing for the 1960 Philadelphia Warriors, Wilt Chamberlain averaged 37.6 points in 72 games — the highest scoring average by any NBA player in his 1st season.
Points Per Game, Rookie Season
37.6 ppg
Wilt Chamberlain
(1960 Philadelphia Warriors)
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
Regular Season
| Points | Other stats | ||||||||
| Rk | Player
(Team) |
Per Game | Total | Gms | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | 3pm |
| 1 | (1960 Warriors) |
37.6 | 2,707 | 72 | 27.0 | 2.3 | - | - | - |
| 2 | (1962 Packers) |
31.6 | 2,495 | 79 | 19.0 | 2.7 | - | - | - |
| 3 | (1961 Royals) |
30.5 | 2,165 | 71 | 10.1 | 9.7 | - | - | - |
| 4 | (1970 Bucks) |
28.8 | 2,361 | 82 | 14.5 | 4.1 | - | - | - |
| 5 | (1969 Rockets) |
28.4 | 2,327 | 82 | 17.1 | 1.4 | - | - | - |
| 6 | (1949 Lakers) |
28.3 | 1,698 | 60 | - | 3.6 | - | - | - |
| 7 | (1985 Bulls) |
28.2 | 2,313 | 82 | 6.5 | 5.9 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| 8 | (1977 Pacers) |
26.6 | 2,075 | 78 | 7.5 | 3.3 | 1.5 | 0.2 | - |
| 9 | (1977 Nuggets) |
25.9 | 2,125 | 82 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 1.4 | 0.6 | - |
| 10 | (1966 Warriors) |
25.7 | 2,059 | 80 | 10.6 | 2.2 | - | - | - |
| Points | Other stats | ||||||||
| Rk | Player
(Team) |
Per Game | Total | Gms | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | 3pm |
| 11 | (1963 Zephyrs) |
25.5 | 1,452 | 57 | 8.0 | 3.1 | - | - | - |
| 12 | (1959 Lakers) |
24.9 | 1,742 | 70 | 15.0 | 4.1 | - | - | - |
| 13 | (1971 Trail Blazers) |
24.8 | 2,031 | 82 | 3.4 | 4.8 | - | - | - |
| 14 | (1970 Suns) |
24.6 | 1,995 | 81 | 10.4 | 4.8 | - | - | - |
| 15 | (1972 Trail Blazers) |
24.5 | 2,009 | 82 | 11.5 | 4.3 | - | - | - |
| 16 | (1990 Spurs) |
24.3 | 1,993 | 82 | 12.0 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 3.9 | 0.0 |
| 17 | (1968 Bullets) |
24.3 | 1,991 | 82 | 5.7 | 4.3 | - | - | - |
| 18 | (1978 Suns) |
24.2 | 1,959 | 81 | 6.0 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 0.2 | - |
| 19 | (1978 Nets) |
24.2 | 1,909 | 79 | 9.5 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 0.5 | - |
| 20 | (1983 Clippers) |
23.7 | 1,660 | 70 | 10.6 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.0 |
| Points | Other stats | ||||||||
| Rk | Player
(Team) |
Per Game | Total | Gms | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | 3pm |
| 21 | (1997 76ers) |
23.5 | 1,787 | 76 | 4.1 | 7.5 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 2.0 |
| 22 | (1950 Olympians) |
23.4 | 1,496 | 64 | - | 2.5 | - | - | - |
| 23 | (1993 Magic) |
23.4 | 1,893 | 81 | 13.9 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 0.0 |
| 24 | (1971 Hawks) |
23.2 | 1,880 | 81 | 3.7 | 4.4 | - | - | - |
| 25 | (1947 Warriors) |
23.2 | 1,389 | 60 | - | 0.4 | - | - | - |
| 26 | (1977 Spurs) |
23.1 | 1,895 | 82 | 5.5 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 1.3 | - |
| 27 | (1976 76ers) |
23.0 | 1,769 | 77 | 12.6 | 4.7 | 2.6 | 0.5 | - |
| 28 | (1987 Cavaliers) |
22.9 | 1,874 | 82 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.2 |
| 29 | (2011 Clippers) |
22.5 | 1,845 | 82 | 12.1 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
(2020 Pelicans) |
22.5 | 540 | 24 | 6.3 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.3 | |
| Points | Other stats | ||||||||
| Rk | Player
(Team) |
Per Game | Total | Gms | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | 3pm |
| 31 | (1977 Nuggets) |
22.3 | 1,765 | 79 | 8.8 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 0.4 | - |
| 32 | (1977 Kings) |
22.2 | 1,818 | 82 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 1.5 | 0.2 | - |
| 33 | (1989 Warriors) |
22.0 | 1,741 | 79 | 5.9 | 4.2 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| 34 | (1995 Bucks) |
21.9 | 1,755 | 80 | 6.4 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 1.1 |
| 35 | (1977 Spurs) |
21.9 | 1,705 | 78 | 11.3 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 0.8 | - |
| 36 | (1980 Knicks) |
21.7 | 1,781 | 82 | 8.9 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.0 |
| 37 | (1982 Pistons) |
21.6 | 1,772 | 82 | 5.4 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 38 | (1977 76ers) |
21.6 | 1,770 | 82 | 8.5 | 3.7 | 1.9 | 1.4 | - |
| 39 | (2024 Spurs) |
21.4 | 1,522 | 71 | 10.6 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 3.6 | 1.8 |
| 40 | (1982 Mavericks) |
21.4 | 1,732 | 81 | 7.0 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Points | Other stats | ||||||||
| Rk | Player
(Team) |
Per Game | Total | Gms | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | 3pm |
| 41 | (1980 Celtics) |
21.3 | 1,745 | 82 | 10.4 | 4.5 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| 42 | (2019 Mavericks) |
21.2 | 1,526 | 72 | 7.8 | 6.0 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 2.3 |
| 43 | (1972 Cavaliers) |
21.2 | 911 | 43 | 3.5 | 3.4 | - | - | - |
| 44 | (1998 Spurs) |
21.1 | 1,731 | 82 | 11.9 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 0.0 |
| 45 | (2004 Nuggets) |
21.0 | 1,725 | 82 | 6.1 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| 46 | (1993 Hornets) |
21.0 | 1,639 | 78 | 10.3 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 3.5 | 0.0 |
| 47 | (1984 Rockets) |
21.0 | 1,720 | 82 | 11.1 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 0.0 |
| 48 | (2004 Cavaliers) |
20.9 | 1,654 | 79 | 5.5 | 5.9 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| 49 | (1977 more than 1 team) |
20.8 | 1,495 | 72 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 0.2 | - |
| 50 | (1985 Rockets) |
20.6 | 1,692 | 82 | 11.9 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 0.0 |
* The NBA began recording rebounds in 1951, steals and blocks in 1974, and added the 3-point line in 1980.