Who scored the most points in wins in NBA history?

LeBron James is now the runaway No. 1 scorer in NBA history if you combine points from both the regular season and playoffs – holding a 6,000-point advantage over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But what happens if we focus only on points scored in wins and ignore all the scoring in losses (which some might call empty-calorie stats)? The story changes quite a bit, with Kareem cutting LeBron’s lead in half.

Applying the same approach to all other NBA players produces some interesting changes. For example, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan would swap places in the ranking. Shaquille O’Neal, Stephen Curry, Larry Bird and Tony Parker would rise significantly, while Carmelo Anthony, Elvin Hayes and Dominique Wilkins would fall several spots.

Below, take a look at the Top 40 players in points scored in games won.

1. LeBron James: 33,330 points

Average scoring in wins: 27.94 ppg

Average career scoring: 27.22 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 1

2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 30,095 points

Average scoring in wins: 24.51 ppg

Average career scoring: 24.57 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 2

3. Karl Malone: 27,334 points

Average scoring in wins: 26.03 ppg

Average career scoring: 24.98 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 3

4. Michael Jordan: 25,964 points

Average scoring in wins: 31.47 ppg

Average career scoring: 30.60 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 5

5. Kobe Bryant: 24,792 points

Average scoring in wins: 25.53 ppg

Average career scoring: 25.08 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 4

6. Shaquille O’Neal: 23,224 points

Average scoring in wins: 24.50 ppg

Average career scoring: 23.78 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 9

7. Dirk Nowitzki: 22,365 points

Average scoring in wins: 22.71 ppg

Average career scoring: 21.13 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 7

8. Kevin Durant: 22,342 points

Average scoring in wins: 27.96 ppg

Average career scoring: 27.50 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 6

9. Tim Duncan: 22,127 points

Average scoring in wins: 19.11 ppg

Average career scoring: 19.27 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 10

10. Wilt Chamberlain: 21,786 points

Average scoring in wins: 28.67 ppg

Average career scoring: 29.06 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 8

11. James Harden: 20,946 points

Average scoring in wins: 25.03 ppg

Average career scoring: 23.85 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 11

12. Stephen Curry: 19,986 points

Average scoring in wins: 26.19 ppg

Average career scoring: 25.01 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 17

13. John Havlicek: 19,918 points

Average scoring in wins: 21.37 ppg

Average career scoring: 20.92 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 14

14. Jerry West: 19,667 points

Average scoring in wins: 28.84 ppg

Average career scoring: 27.35 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 15

15. Larry Bird: 19,105 points

Average scoring in wins: 25.17 ppg

Average career scoring: 24.21 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 36

16. Hakeem Olajuwon: 18,428 points

Average scoring in wins: 22.81 ppg

Average career scoring: 22.20 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 12

17. Moses Malone: 17,827 points

Average scoring in wins: 23.00 ppg

Average career scoring: 20.72 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 19

18. Oscar Robertson: 17,253 points

Average scoring in wins: 25.64 ppg

Average career scoring: 25.42 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 22

19. Robert Parish: 17,250 points

Average scoring in wins: 15.39 ppg

Average career scoring: 14.57 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 34

20. Tony Parker: 17,086 points

Average scoring in wins: 16.60 ppg

Average career scoring: 15.89 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 41

21. Paul Pierce: 16,981 points

Average scoring in wins: 20.10 ppg

Average career scoring: 19.55 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 16

22. Russell Westbrook: 16,905 points

Average scoring in wins: 21.51 ppg

Average career scoring: 21.31 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 20

23. Kevin Garnett: 16,864 points

Average scoring in wins: 18.84 ppg

Average career scoring: 17.86 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 21

24. Chris Paul: 16,780 points

Average scoring in wins: 18.10 ppg

Average career scoring: 17.29 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 35

25. Carmelo Anthony: 16,682 points

Average scoring in wins: 23.66 ppg

Average career scoring: 22.49 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 13

26. Dwyane Wade: 16,443 points

Average scoring in wins: 22.97 ppg

Average career scoring: 22.03 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 29

27. Charles Barkley: 16,344 points

Average scoring in wins: 22.70 ppg

Average career scoring: 22.23 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 32

28. Patrick Ewing: 16,321 points

Average scoring in wins: 21.76 ppg

Average career scoring: 20.90 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 25

29. Reggie Miller: 16,261 points

Average scoring in wins: 19.29 ppg

Average career scoring: 18.43 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 23

30. Scottie Pippen: 16,228 points

Average scoring in wins: 17.15 ppg

Average career scoring: 16.29 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 47

31. Ray Allen: 16,040 points

Average scoring in wins: 18.76 ppg

Average career scoring: 18.53 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 28

32. Elvin Hayes: 15,802 points

Average scoring in wins: 22.61 ppg

Average career scoring: 21.09 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 18

33. Dominique Wilkins: 15,767 points

Average scoring in wins: 26.72 ppg

Average career scoring: 24.86 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 24

34. Magic Johnson: 15,715 points

Average scoring in wins: 19.69 ppg

Average career scoring: 19.53 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 55

35. Clyde Drexler: 15,625 points

Average scoring in wins: 21.14 ppg

Average career scoring: 20.44 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 37

36. David Robinson: 15,593 points

Average scoring in wins: 20.99 ppg

Average career scoring: 20.73 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 44

37. Gary Payton: 15,476 points

Average scoring in wins: 17.14 ppg

Average career scoring: 16.10 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 40

38. Elgin Baylor: 15,437 points

Average scoring in wins: 28.32 ppg

Average career scoring: 27.30 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 30

39. Alex English: 14,998 points

Average scoring in wins: 23.69 ppg

Average career scoring: 21.63 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 27

40. Vince Carter: 14,862 points

Average scoring in wins: 18.06 ppg

Average career scoring: 16.77 ppg

All-time scoring ranking: No. 26