Stephen Curry vs. Michael Jordan: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Michael Jordan and Stephen Curry to determine who has the better numbers. Here you can compare their career totals, points per game, games of 40+ points, 50+, etc. and their year-by-year scoring averages side by side, both in the Regular Season and Playoffs.
Michael Jordan and Stephen Curry are among the most prolific scorers in NBA history—combining for an staggering season total of 57,840 points—and they also have two of the all-time best scoring averages (with MJ at the top of the list). Here we compare all their scoring stats.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Michael Jordan has better scoring stats than Stephen Curry in averages and totals, both in the regular season and Playoffs. However, we won't stop there and we'll go into detail to analyze what these statistics are made up of, from how many games they had in each threshold (30+ points, 40+, 50+, etc.) to their season-by-season scoring averages.
On this page we compare: |
|
Who has better scoring stats? Career Numbers |
Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?
Points in the Regular Season
In his 15 NBA regular seasons played, Michael Jordan averages 5.3 points more than Stephen Curry in his 17 seasons (30.1 points against 24.8), and he also scored a total of 6,744 points more (32,292 vs. 25,548).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Stephen Curry | 24.8 | 17 | |
| Michael Jordan | 30.1 | +5.3 | 15 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Stephen Curry | 25,548 | 17 | |
| Michael Jordan | 32,292 | +6,744 | 15 |
Scoring Titles | ||
| Stephen Curry | 2 |  |
| Michael Jordan | 10 | +8 |
Points in the Playoffs
Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Michael Jordan has a better career point average than Stephen Curry (+6.6 points per game) and he also scored more points (+1,840).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Stephen Curry | 26.8 | 10 | |
| Michael Jordan | 33.4 | +6.6 | 13 |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Stephen Curry | 4,147 | 10 | |
| Michael Jordan | 5,987 | +1,840 | 13 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Stephen Curry | 2 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 4 | +2 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Stephen Curry | 721 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 926 | +205 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Stephen Curry | 973 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 1,059 | +86 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Stephen Curry | 1,027 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 1,072 | +45 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Stephen Curry | 5 | +5 | ||
| Michael Jordan | 0 | |||
Playoffs
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Stephen Curry | 0 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 1 | +1 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Stephen Curry | 123 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 173 | +50 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Stephen Curry | 153 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 179 | +26 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Stephen Curry | 155 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 179 | +24 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Stephen Curry | 0 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 0 | |||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Stephen Curry | 24.8 | 8.4 | 17.9 | 47.1 | 4.0 | 9.4 | 42.3 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 91.2 | 17 | 1,032 |
| difference: | +5.3 | +3.0 | +5.0 | +2.6 | +3.5 | +7.7 | +9.6 | +2.9 | +3.9 | +7.7 | +2 | +40 |
| Michael Jordan | 30.1 | 11.4 | 22.9 | 49.7 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 32.7 | 6.8 | 8.2 | 83.5 | 15 | 1,072 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Stephen Curry | 25,548 | 8,700 | 18,462 | 47.1 | 4,084 | 9,651 | 42.3 | 4,064 | 4,457 | 91.2 | 17 | 1,032 |
| difference: | +6,744 | +3,492 | +6,075 | +2.6 | +3,503 | +7,873 | +9.6 | +3,263 | +4,315 | +7.7 | +2 | +40 |
| Michael Jordan | 32,292 | 12,192 | 24,537 | 49.7 | 581 | 1,778 | 32.7 | 7,327 | 8,772 | 83.5 | 15 | 1,072 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Stephen Curry | 26.8 | 9.0 | 19.7 | 45.4 | 4.2 | 10.6 | 39.7 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 88.9 | 10 | 155 |
| difference: | +6.6 | +3.2 | +5.4 | +3.2 | +3.4 | +8.1 | +6.5 | +3.5 | +4.7 | +6.1 | +3 | +24 |
| Michael Jordan | 33.4 | 12.2 | 25.1 | 48.7 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 33.2 | 8.2 | 9.9 | 82.8 | 13 | 179 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Stephen Curry | 4,147 | 1,388 | 3,056 | 45.4 | 650 | 1,637 | 39.7 | 721 | 811 | 88.9 | 10 | 155 |
| difference: | +1,840 | +800 | +1,441 | +3.2 | +502 | +1,191 | +6.5 | +742 | +955 | +6.1 | +3 | +24 |
| Michael Jordan | 5,987 | 2,188 | 4,497 | 48.7 | 148 | 446 | 33.2 | 1,463 | 1,766 | 82.8 | 13 | 179 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA Scoring Leader
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Stephen Curry | 17.5 | 2010 | 80 | |
| Michael Jordan | 28.2 | +10.7 | 1985 | 82 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Stephen Curry | 18.6 | 2011 | 74 | |
| Michael Jordan | 22.7 | +4.1 | 1986 | 18 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Stephen Curry | 14.7 | 2012 | 26 | |
| Michael Jordan | 37.1 | +22.4 | 1987 | 82 |
Stephen Curry's additional seasons: | ||||
* Stephen Curry played 2 seasons more than Michael Jordan in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 16 to 17, from 2025 to 2026—he averaged 24.7 points in a total of 76 regular season games. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Stephen Curry | - | DNP | 2010 | 0 |
| Michael Jordan | 29.3 | +29.3 | 1985 | 4 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Stephen Curry | - | DNP | 2011 | 0 |
| Michael Jordan | 43.7 | +43.7 | 1986 | 3 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Stephen Curry | - | DNP | 2012 | 0 |
| Michael Jordan | 35.7 | +35.7 | 1987 | 3 |
Season 11 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Stephen Curry | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
| Michael Jordan | 30.7 | +30.7 | 1996 | 18 |
Season 12 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Stephen Curry | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
| Michael Jordan | 31.1 | +31.1 | 1997 | 19 |
Season 14 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Stephen Curry | 30.5 | +30.5 | 2023 | 13 |
| Michael Jordan | - | DNP | 2002 | 0 |
Season 15 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Stephen Curry | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
| Michael Jordan | - | DNP | 2003 | 0 |
Stephen Curry's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 2 additional NBA seasons, Stephen Curry played in one postseason. In those postseasons he averaged 22.6 points in a total of 8 games. |