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The NBA is entering the second half of its 2022/23 season, and the competition is starting to heat up. As things stand, the Boston Celtics are currently leading the way, both in the Eastern Conference and in the overall regular season standings. Led by star man Jayson Tatum, the Massachusetts-based outfit has won their last four games and looks dead set on gaining redemption for last season’s NBA Finals defeat to the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors have been the leading franchise in the league in recent seasons. Their appearance in last term’s NBA finals was their sixth trip to the championship series in the last eight years, and on four of those occasions, they have managed to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy. This season however, they have underperformed and have more losses than victories, which has left them languishing way down in eighth place in the Western Conference.
Currently, the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies are tied at the top of the westside standings. Both sides are led by Eastern European superstars, namely the Mavs’ Luka Dončić and Memphis’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the pair look set to battle it out for the conference crown this season. Online bookmaker Bovada, which provides NBA odds betting and outrights, still makes the Celtics the favorites to win the championship this year, but the Grizzlies aren’t too far behind in the betting odds.
Points-per-game behemoths
Both Dončić and Giannis, as well as the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić – who is gunning for a third straight MVP award – have dominated the league when it comes to points per game in recent seasons. But which players have the best records of all time?
The NBA has been around since 1946 and since then, it has produced some of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen. Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James are some of the most recognizable names in basketball, and they also hold some of the highest points-per-game records in the NBA. Let’s take a closer look at who has the highest points per game record in NBA history and what they have accomplished.
Michael Jordan
You won’t be surprised to hear that Michael Jordan holds an impressive points-per-game record in the NBA, averaging an enormous 30.1 points per game. Jordan played 15 seasons in the NBA and is best known for leading the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships in the 90s.Jordan and his Bulls became the first team since the 1960s Boston Celtics to win three consecutive Larry O’Brien trophies between 1991 and 1993. MJ would briefly retire from the sport and tried his hand at baseball. He would return after a season out and take his Bulls back to the top.
He led the Bulls to a second ‘threepeat’ between 1996 and 1998. The latest of his championship successes is documented in Netflix’s brilliant The Last Dance, which is a must-watch for any basketball fan. As well as winning a plethora of championships and accolades, Jordan is also remembered for some of his iconic moments and performances, such as his game-winning shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers known as ‘The Shot’. His iconic ‘Flu Game’ performance against the Utah Jazz will also go down in history as one of the all-time great sporting performances, where he still managed to score 38 points despite showing signs of illness.
LeBron James
LeBron James is the only active player that features in our list, and he averages an incredible 27.2 points per game. James has achieved many individual accolades in his time and is one of the most successful players in NBA history. He has led the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers to NBA championships and has four MVP awards to his name. He is also known for his iconic performances like ‘The Block’ against the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals and ‘The Chase Down Block’ against the San Antonio Spurs. These three NBA stars have all achieved great success throughout their careers and have gone down in history as some of the greatest athletes of their time. They have all given us many iconic performances to look back on and have etched themselves into our memories forever.
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant is one of the all-time leaders in points per game in NBA history, having averaged an incredible 25.0 points per game throughout his career. He began his career in 1996 with the Los Angeles Lakers and quickly became one of the premier players in the NBA. Bryant would go on to win five NBA championships and one MVP award with the Lakers, endearing him to Lakers fans for life. He is also remembered for his iconic performances such as his 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors and three buzzer-beaters against the Phoenix Suns.