Records

NBA records, with the date we checked them

Career, season, game, playoff and award records in one place. Regular season unless we say otherwise; active players' totals grow with every game, so their lines stop at the end of the 2025–26 season.

Closest to a record

Illustration (AI)

Career

Regular season, whole career. Active players add to their totals with every game, so their lines stop at the end of the 2025–26 season. Runners-up from the same Wikipedia lists.

RecordHolderNumberWhen
PointsLeBron James (active)43,4401through the 2025–26 seasonHe passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 38,387 on 7 February 20232.
Games playedLeBron James (active)1,6223through the 2025–26 seasonRecord since his 1,612th game on 21 March 2026, which took him past Robert Parish (1,611)2.
Field goals madeLeBron James (active)15,96114through the 2025–26 seasonRecord since 5 March 2026, when he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 15,8372.
Free throws madeKarl Malone9,7875career, 19 seasonsLeBron James is second with 8,882 through 2025–26.
ReboundsWilt Chamberlain23,9246careerBill Russell is second with 21,620.
Offensive reboundsMoses Maloneno data78career; counted since 1973–74Wikipedia names him the career leader, but gives his offensive rebounds only for the ABA and NBA together.
Defensive reboundsKevin Garnett11,4539career; counted since 1973–74
AssistsJohn Stockton15,80610career, 19 seasonsChris Paul is second with 12,552.
StealsJohn Stockton3,26511career, 19 seasonsChris Paul is second with 2,728.
BlocksHakeem Olajuwon3,83012career, 18 seasonsBlocks have been counted since 1973–74. Dikembe Mutombo is second with 3,289.
Triple-doublesRussell Westbrook20913career
3-pointers madeStephen Curry (active)4,24814through the 2025–26 seasonFirst to 4,000, on 13 March 202515. James Harden is second with 3,390.
Scoring averageMichael Jordan30.1161points per game in 1,072 gamesWilt Chamberlain also rounds to 30.1 (31,419 points in 1,045 games). To two decimals, our calculation: Jordan 30.12, Chamberlain 30.07.
Rebounds per gameWilt Chamberlain22.96careerBill Russell: 22.5.
Assists per gameMagic Johnson11.210career, 906 gamesJohn Stockton: 10.5.
Free throw percentageStephen Curry (active)91.2%17through the 2025–26 season, 4,236 of 4,645Steve Nash and Mark Price follow, both 90.4% (.9043 and .9039).
Three-point percentageSteve Kerr45.4%18career, 726 of 1,599

Single season

Regular season, one season.

RecordHolderNumberWhen
Points per gameWilt Chamberlain50.4191961–62
PointsWilt Chamberlain4,02919201961–62, 80 gamesThe only player to score more than 4,000 points in a season.
Minutes per gameWilt Chamberlain48.5201961–62, 3,882 of his team's 3,890 minutesMore than a full game on average: a regulation game has 48 minutes, and he played the overtimes too.
Rebounds per gameWilt Chamberlain27.2211960–612,149 rebounds in 79 games.
Assists per gameJohn Stockton14.5221989–901,134 assists in 78 games.
AssistsJohn Stockton1,164221990–91, 82 gamesThe highest total in Wikipedia's list of the 25 best assist averages in a season.
StealsAlvin Robertson30123241985–86, 82 games3.67 a game, also the record.
BlocksMark Eaton45625261984–85, 82 games5.56 a game, also the record.
Field goal percentageMitchell Robinson74.2%4272019–20, a shortened season; 253 of 341Wilt Chamberlain's 72.7% (426 of 586) in 1972–73 is second.
3-pointers madeStephen Curry40215282015–16James Harden comes next with 378 in 2018–1928.
Triple-doublesRussell Westbrook42292016–17He averaged a triple-double: 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists in 81 games.
Team winsGolden State Warriors73302015–16, record 73–9

Single game

Regular season, one game.

RecordHolderNumberWhen
PointsWilt Chamberlain10031322 March 1962, Warriors 169, Knicks 147
ReboundsWilt Chamberlain553324 November 1960, against BostonHis team lost the game.
AssistsScott Skiles303430 December 1990, Orlando against Denver
StealsLarry Kenon and Kendall Gill113526 December 1976 and 3 April 1999Kenon for San Antonio against the Kansas City Kings, Gill for New Jersey against Miami.
BlocksElmore Smith173628 October 1973, Lakers against Portland
3-pointers madeKlay Thompson14373829 October 2018, Warriors against Chicago14 of 24 from three, and 52 points in 27 minutes38.
Team pointsDetroit Pistons1863913 December 1983, 186–184 over Denver in triple overtime

Playoffs and titles

Playoffs only, plus championships.

RecordHolderNumberWhen
Points in a playoff gameMichael Jordan634020 April 1986, Chicago against BostonThe Bulls lost the game, 131–135.
Points in a Finals gameElgin Baylor614014 April 1962, Lakers against Boston
Career playoff pointsLeBron James (active)8,52141through the 2026 playoffs232 of them in 10 games in 2026, 23.2 a game2; 8,289 before.
Career playoff gamesLeBron James (active)30242through the 2026 playoffsDerek Fisher is second with 259.
Championships as a playerBill Russell11431957–1969, in 13 seasons with Boston

Awards

The regular-season MVP has been given since 1955–56, the Finals MVP since 1969.

RecordHolderNumberWhen
MVP awardsKareem Abdul-Jabbar6441970–71 to 1979–80, the first as Lew AlcindorMichael Jordan and Bill Russell have five each.
Finals MVP awardsMichael Jordan6451991 to 1998LeBron James has four.
All-Star selectionsLeBron James (active)22462005 to 2026, all in a row

Read the records right

Why some records look out of reach

A record is a number from its time. Three things to keep in mind when you read the tables.

Why the early 1960s still own so many records

The season's best rebounder averaged 27.0 rebounds a game in 1959–60 and 12.9 in 2025–2647. The game around the players was different too: a narrower lane until 1964–6548 and no three-point line until 1979–8049. That is the world of Chamberlain's 50.4 points19 and 27.2 rebounds a game21.

Records the old box score never kept

Blocks and steals were first recorded in 1973–745051, players' turnovers in 1977–7852 and threes in 1979–8049. Bill Russell, who played until 196953, and Wilt Chamberlain, who played until 19736, never had a block counted, so the blocks records start with the players who came after them.

Longevity records

Games played, points and field goals made all belong to LeBron James, who has also played a record 23 seasons2. Those lines grow with every game he plays, which is why ours stop at the end of the 2025–26 season.

The chase

Closest to the record

Where our source lists the runners-up too, here is how far away they are.

Career points

43,440LeBron Jamesrecord holder1
  • 38,387Kareem Abdul-Jabbarcareer, ended 1989
  • 32,597Kevin Durant (active)through 2025–26, the closest active player

Closest: 5,053 points

Career 3-pointers

4,248Stephen Curryrecord holder14
  • 3,390James Harden (active)through 2025–26
  • 2,973Ray Allencareer

Closest: 858 short

Career assists

15,806John Stocktonrecord holder10
  • 12,552Chris Paulcareer, ended 2026
  • 12,091Jason Kiddcareer

Closest: 3,254 short

Points in one game

100Wilt Chamberlainrecord holder31
  • 83Bam Adebayo (active)10 March 2026, Heat 150, Wizards 129
  • 81Kobe Bryant22 January 2006, Lakers 122, Raptors 104

Closest: 17 points short

Career triple-doubles

209Russell Westbrookrecord holder13
  • 198Nikola Jokić (active)through 2025–26

Closest: 11 short

3-pointers in one game

14Klay Thompsonrecord holder37
  • 13Stephen Curry7 November 2016
  • 13Damian Lillard26 February 2023
  • 13Zach LaVine23 November 2019

Closest: 1 short

Points in a playoff game

63Michael Jordanrecord holder40
  • 61Elgin Baylor14 April 1962

Closest: 2 short

Side by side

Compare NBA greats

Records show one number. To see whole careers next to each other, pick two to four of 39 players and compare totals, averages, shooting and honours, each number with its source.

Quick picksJordan and LeBronBird and MagicRussell and ChamberlainKobe and Shaq

39 players · 7 decades

From Bob Cousy to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, regular season, through 2025–26.

Open the comparison →

How we check records

  • Our numbers come from Wikipedia: the NBA record lists and the players' articles, in the versions of mid-October 2026, before the 2026–27 season. Every source links to that exact version.
  • NBA.com's terms do not allow its statistics to be used on commercial websites, so we do not use them. Single facts also come from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, rules from the NBA's own pages.
  • Every record shows the date we checked it. When a record falls, we update the line and the date.
  • Active players' lines stop at the end of the 2025–26 season. The 2026–27 season has begun; we add it when it is over.
  • Where Wikipedia has no number, we say “no data” instead of guessing.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: List of NBA career scoring leaders (version of 25 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  2. Wikipedia: LeBron James (version of 13 October 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  3. Wikipedia: List of NBA career games played leaders (version of 9 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  4. Wikipedia: Field goal (basketball) (version of 20 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  5. Wikipedia: List of NBA career free throw scoring leaders (version of 9 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  6. Wikipedia: List of NBA career rebounding leaders (version of 18 July 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  7. Wikipedia: Rebound (basketball) (version of 20 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  8. Wikipedia: Moses Malone (version of 8 October 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  9. Wikipedia: Kevin Garnett (version of 28 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  10. Wikipedia: List of NBA career assists leaders (version of 9 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  11. Wikipedia: List of NBA career steals leaders (version of 4 October 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  12. Wikipedia: List of NBA career blocks leaders (version of 7 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  13. Wikipedia: List of NBA career triple-double leaders (version of 8 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  14. Wikipedia: List of NBA career 3-point scoring leaders (version of 30 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  15. Wikipedia: Stephen Curry (version of 4 October 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  16. Wikipedia: Michael Jordan (version of 14 October 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  17. Wikipedia: List of NBA career free throw percentage leaders (version of 9 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  18. Wikipedia: List of NBA career 3-point field goal percentage leaders (version of 8 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  19. Wikipedia: List of NBA single-season scoring leaders (version of 15 April 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  20. Wikipedia: Wilt Chamberlain (version of 8 October 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  21. Wikipedia: List of NBA single-season rebounding leaders (version of 8 April 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  22. Wikipedia: List of NBA single-season assists per game leaders (version of 8 April 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  23. Wikipedia: Alvin Robertson (version of 23 July 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  24. Wikipedia: List of NBA single-season steals per game leaders (version of 8 April 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  25. Wikipedia: Mark Eaton (version of 8 October 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  26. Wikipedia: List of NBA single-season blocks per game leaders (version of 22 April 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  27. Wikipedia: List of NBA annual field goal percentage leaders (version of 14 April 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  28. Wikipedia: List of NBA single-season 3-point scoring leaders (version of 19 April 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  29. Wikipedia: Russell Westbrook (version of 3 October 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  30. Wikipedia: 2015–16 Golden State Warriors season (version of 3 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  31. Wikipedia: List of NBA single-game scoring leaders (version of 13 October 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  32. Wikipedia: Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game (version of 13 August 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  33. Wikipedia: List of NBA single-game rebounding leaders (version of 8 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  34. Wikipedia: List of NBA single-game assists leaders (version of 17 April 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  35. Wikipedia: List of NBA single-game steals leaders (version of 21 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  36. Wikipedia: List of NBA single-game blocks leaders (version of 21 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  37. Wikipedia: List of NBA single-game 3-point scoring leaders (version of 11 April 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  38. Wikipedia: Klay Thompson (version of 10 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  39. Wikipedia: List of highest-scoring NBA games (version of 4 July 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  40. Wikipedia: List of NBA single-game playoff scoring leaders (version of 5 October 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  41. Wikipedia: List of NBA career playoff scoring leaders (version of 15 June 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  42. Wikipedia: List of NBA career playoff games played leaders (version of 8 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  43. Wikipedia: List of NBA players with most championships (version of 16 June 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  44. Wikipedia: NBA Most Valuable Player (version of 26 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  45. Wikipedia: NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (version of 28 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  46. Wikipedia: List of NBA All-Stars (version of 8 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  47. Wikipedia: List of NBA annual rebounding leaders (version of 15 June 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  48. Wikipedia: Key (basketball) (version of 1 October 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  49. Wikipedia: Three-point field goal (version of 30 August 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  50. Wikipedia: Block (basketball) (version of 3 August 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  51. Wikipedia: Steal (basketball) (version of 19 March 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  52. Wikipedia: Turnover (basketball) (version of 9 September 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026
  53. Wikipedia: Bill Russell (version of 13 October 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0 checked 21 October 2026

Checked on 20 October 2026, unless a source has its own date. Wikipedia content is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; we take single numbers and facts from the versions linked above and say where a number is our own calculation. Spotted a mistake or a record that fell? Write to hello@boxscorestories.com.

A record fell?

Write to hello@boxscorestories.com and we will check it against an official source.

Behind the numbers

Stats explained
How the eras changed the numbers

Keep going

Where next

ErasWhy scoring changedShot clock, wider lane, three-point line.Read the eras →StatsTS%, PER, Win SharesFormulas with worked examples.Stats explained →NewsletterThe box score cheat sheetOne printable page, by email.Get it →

Independent channel · not affiliated with the NBA or any team · no betting tips · YouTube @boxscorestories