The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional men's basketball league, consisting of 30 teams in North America (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). It adopted the name National Basketball Association at the start of the 1949–50 NBA season when it merged with the National Basketball League (NBL). The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball, which is recognized by FIBA (a French acronym for "International Basketball Federation") as the National Governing Body (NGB) for basketball in the country. The league is considered to be one of the four major professional sports leagues of North America. There have been 15 defunct franchises in NBA history. In basketball, points are the sum of the score accumulated through free throw or field goal. The NBA introduced three-point field goals in the 1979–80 NBA season as a bonus for field goals made from a longer distance. Karl Malone scored 36,374 points with the Utah Jazz, the most points by a player for a single franchise. Kobe Bryant leads the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring the most points in the NBA while playing for only one team in an entire career. Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks is second behind Kobe Bryant in scoring while playing for only one team. Oscar Robertson is the leading scorer for the Sacramento Kings franchise, playing all of his games when they were known as the Cincinnati Royals.
Regular season scoring leaders
^Active NBA player*Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame†Not yet eligible for Hall of Fame considerationA player is not eligible for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame until he has been fully retired for two calendar years.‡ Franchise with scoring leader on its current roster Statistics accurate as of the end of the 2025–26 NBA season. FranchiseThis list only includes active NBA franchises. Player Points RefAtlanta HawksFormerly Buffalo Bisons (1946), Tri-Cities Blackhawks (1946–1951), Milwaukee Hawks (1951–1955), St. Louis Hawks (1955–1968)*23,292Boston Celtics*26,395Brooklyn NetsFormerly New Jersey Americans (1967–1968), New York Nets (1968–1977), New Jersey Nets (1977–2012)^10,444Charlotte HornetsFormerly Charlotte Bobcats (2004–2014)12,009Chicago Bulls*29,277Cleveland Cavaliers^23,119Dallas Mavericks*31,560Denver Nuggets*21,645Detroit PistonsFormerly Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (1937–1948), Fort Wayne Pistons (1948–1957)*18,822Golden State Warriors‡Formerly Philadelphia Warriors (1946–1962), San Francisco Warriors (1962–1971)^26,528Houston RocketsFormerly San Diego Rockets (1967–1971)*26,511Indiana Pacers*25,279Los Angeles ClippersFormerly Buffalo Braves (1970–1978), San Diego Clippers (1978–1984)12,735Los Angeles LakersFormerly Detroit Gems (1946–1947), Minneapolis Lakers (1947–1960)*33,643Memphis GrizzliesFormerly Vancouver Grizzlies (1995–2001)^11,733Miami Heat*21,556Milwaukee Bucks^21,531Minnesota Timberwolves*19,201New Orleans PelicansFormerly New Orleans Hornets (2002–2005, 2007–2013), New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (2005–2007)^11,059New York Knicks*23,665Oklahoma City ThunderFormerly Seattle SuperSonics (1967–2008)†18,859Orlando Magic*11,435Philadelphia 76ersFormerly Syracuse Nationals (1946–1963)*21,586Phoenix Suns‡^18,120Portland Trail Blazers‡^19,376Sacramento KingsFormerly Rochester Seagrams (1923–1942), Rochester Eber Seagrams (1942–1943), Rochester Pros (1943–1945), Rochester Royals (1945–1957), Cincinnati Royals (1957–1972), Kansas City-Omaha Kings (1972–1975), Kansas City Kings (1975–1985)*22,009San Antonio SpursFormerly Dallas Chaparrals (1967–1970, 1971–1973), Texas Chaparrals (1970–1971)*26,496Toronto Raptors^13,296Utah JazzFormerly New Orleans Jazz (1974–1979)*36,374Washington WizardsFormerly Chicago Packers (1961–1962), Chicago Zephyrs (1962–1963), Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973), Capital Bullets (1973–1974), Washington Bullets (1974–1997)*15,551
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