It’s 3:30 P.M. on a Wednesday. I’m about an hour away from home and in the last hour of an 11-hour drive. My girlfriend passed out in the passenger seat, having driven for seven of the then 10 hours. I have my driving playlist on, jamming along, and “What More Can I Say” by Jay-Z comes on. I don’t think much of it because I’ve heard the song so much. Near the end of the song, Hov raps, “Pound for pound, I'm the best to ever come around here/Excludin' nobody, look what I embody,” a line that I have heard countless times. I never pause to think about this line, but for whatever reason, in between Ozark and Alma, Arkansas, a thought pops into my head: who is the best pound for pound player in NBA history?
This is something that has racked my OCD brain ever since the idea got introduced to me, much like the “Divisibility of Three” rule (if the sum of a number’s digits is divisible by three, then the number is divisible by three). Anytime that I see or think of any number, I run that rule through my head, whether I realize it or not. That happens with any amazing scorer in the NBA, too. I always think about how they stack up against other historically great scorers pound for pound. When I thought about it this time, I was determined to find out the answer once and for all.
Unfortunately for me, the classic “no original thoughts” phenomenon struck again. While researching how to determine how to calculate a pound for pound scorer, I found a video by JxmyHighroller discussing this same thing. It was kind of disheartening, but when I watched the video, he only used a six-season stretch for each player, and that sparked another question: what’s the best pound for pound scoring season by a player?
My initial thoughts were 2016-17 Isaiah Thomas, Allen Iverson’s MVP season, and either of Steph Curry’s MVP seasons. All small guys with high-scoring outputs. To find the true answer, I borrowed JxmyHighroller’s formula from his video and reapplied it to individual seasons. In his video, he explains how he came up with the formula, and the smaller the pound for pound score, the better. To determine what seasons I would be finding the pound for pound score for, I went to Basketball Reference and looked at the all-time single-season leaders for points per game. I rediscovered that Wilt Chamberlain was an absolute beast, having five of the top six highest scoring seasons ever, and realized that I might need to tweak my criteria. I decided that I would skim through the list and pick out the first 50 original names. I then went onto each of their pages, scrolled to the “Per 100 Possessions” section, and found their highest career PPG/100 possessions. This showed me that stats in the 50s and 60s were extremely bloated, so I made the executive decision to not include any players’ seasons that were before 1974, which is when the “Per 100 Possessions” stat was officially kept, and it is when pace started to normalize to around 100. I copied the stats (all stats come from the Basketball Reference website), crunched the numbers, and found the best pound for pound scoring season in NBA history.
50 - 26
Of the 28 forwards and centers on this list, 21 of them are in the bottom half, showing how much size plays into the pound for pound scoring, putting bigger players at a disadvantage. Only one of the first 25 players was not selected as an All-Star, showing how good these seasons were for these players.
50. 1974-1975 Spencer Haywood, All-Star power forward for the Seattle Supersonics, All-NBA 2nd Team, pound for pound score of 7.03
49. 1997-1998 Shaquille O’Neal, All-Star center for the Los Angeles Lakers, All-NBA 1st Team, 4th in MVP voting, pound for pound score of 6.17
48. 1974-1975 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, All-Star center for the Milwaukee Bucks, All-Defensive 1st Team, 5th in MVP voting, pound for pound score of 5.94
47. 1994-1995 Hakeem Olajuwon, All-Star center for the Houston Rockets, All-NBA 3rd Team, 5th in MVP voting, NBA Champion, Finals MVP, pound for pound score of 5.91
46. 1989-1990 Patrick Ewing, All-Star center for the New York Knicks, All-NBA 1st Team, 5th in MVP voting, pound for pound score of 5.64
45. 1984-1985 Purvis Short, starting small forward for the Golden State Warriors, pound for pound score of 5.58
44. 1989-1990 Tom Chambers, All-Star power forward for the Phoenix Suns, All-NBA 2nd Team, 9th in MVP voting, pound for pound score of 5.57
43. 1990-1991 Charles Barkley, All-Star small forward for the Philadelphia 76ers, All-NBA 1st Team, 4th in MVP voting, All-Star Game MVP, pound for pound score of 5.5
42. 2016-2017 Anthony Davis, All-Star center for the New Orleans Pelicans, All-NBA 1st Team, All-Defensive 2nd Team, 9th in MVP voting, All-Star Game MVP, pound for pound score of 5.49
41. 1991-1992 Clyde Drexler, All-Star shooting guard for the Portland Trail Blazers, All-NBA 1st Team, 2nd in MVP voting, pound for pound score of 5.43
40. 1974-1975 Rick Barry, All-Star small forward for the Golden State Warriors, All-NBA 1st Team, 4th in MVP voting, NBA Champion, Finals MVP, pound for pound score of 5.37
39. 1988-1989 Dale Ellis, All-Star shooting guard for the Seattle Supersonics, All-NBA 3rd Team, pound for pound score of 5.35
38. 2018-2019 Paul George, All-Star small forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder, All-NBA 1st Team, All-Defensive 1st Team, 3rd in MVP voting, pound for pound score of 5.35
37. 1976-1977 Pete Maravich, All-Star shooting guard for the New Orleans Jazz, All-NBA 1st Team, 3rd in MVP voting, pound for pound score of 5.24
36. 1974-1975 Bob McAdoo, All-Star center for the Buffalo Braves, All-NBA 1st Team, MVP, pound for pound score of 5.22
35. 1983-1984 Kiki VanDeWeghe, All-Star power forward for the Denver Nuggets, pound for pound score of 5.21
34. 1981-1982 Moses Malone, All-Star center for the Houston Rockets, All-NBA 1st Team, MVP, pound for pound score of 5.18
33. 1993-1994 David Robinson, All-Star center for the San Antonio Spurs, All-NBA 2nd Team, All-Defensive 2nd Team, 2nd in MVP voting, pound for pound score of 5.17
32. 2000-2001 Vince Carter, All-Star small forward for the Toronto Raptors, All-NBA 2nd Team, pound for pound score of 5.12
31. 1987-1988 Larry Bird, All-Star small forward for the Boston Celtics, All-NBA 1st Team, 2nd in MVP voting, pound for pound score of 5.08
30. 1989-1990 Karl Malone, All-Star power forward for the Utah Jazz, All-NBA 1st Team, 4th in MVP voting, pound for pound score of 5.07
29. 2008-2009 LeBron James, All-Star small forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers, All-NBA 1st Team, All-Defensive 1st Team, MVP, pound for pound score of 5.05
28. 2000-2001 Jerry Stackhouse, All-Star shooting guard for the Detroit Pistons, pound for pound score of 4.99
27. 1983-1984 Mark Aguirre, All-Star small forward for the Dallas Mavericks, pound for pound score of 4.97
26. 2021-2022 Joel Embiid, All-Star center for the Philadelphia 76ers, All-NBA 2nd Team, 2nd in MVP voting, pound for pound score of 4.97
Top 25 Pound for Pound Scores
With the best pound for pound score of the bottom 25 only 0.36 points worse than Allen Iverson’s career score, the next 25 are ridiculously good scoring years, especially when keeping track of the pound for pound number. The top 25 showcases how pound for pound scoring heavily favors small players, even if some bigger players had similar, or better, scoring numbers, because basketball was designed to favor bigs, and these metrics are designed to do the opposite.
25. 1985-1986 Alex English, small forward, Denver Nuggets
This was arguably English’s best year in the NBA, only rivaled by his ‘82-’83 season. He was voted in as an All-Star for the fifth straight year. He made the All-NBA 2nd Team and was 8th in MVP voting. He led his Nuggets to the No. 3 seed, losing to the eventual Western Conference champion Houston Rockets in the 2nd round. English put up almost 30 points a game on 50% from the field and 86% from the free throw line. This high-scoring season was the climax of his career, and he ended with a pound for pound score of 4.87.
24. 2013-2014 Kevin Durant, small forward, Oklahoma City Thunder
Kevin Durant solidified his case for best player in the world this season, getting him MVP honors. He was an All-Star for the fifth year in a row, and he made the All-NBA 1st Team. He and superstar teammate Russell Westbrook led the Thunder to the No. 2 seed, going to the Western Conference Finals and losing to the eventual champions, the San Antonio Spurs. Durant scored an insane 32 points a game on 50/39/87 splits. The Slim Reaper’s MVP run totals in with a pound for pound score of 4.83.
23. 2016-2017 DeMar DeRozan, shooting guard, Toronto Raptors
Until this past season in Chicago, DeRozan had his best season, scoring or otherwise, in 2016-17. He was an All-Star for the third time in his career. He also was selected for 3rd Team All-NBA. He and Kyle Lowry led their Raptors to 50+ wins for the second consecutive year, and had their season ended when LeBron James infamously created LeBronto, sweeping Toronto in the 2nd round of the playoffs. DeMar averaged a team-high 27 per game on 47% from the field and 84% from the line. Deebo’s All-Star bout ended with a pound for pound score of 4.81.
22. 2012-2013 Carmelo Anthony, small forward, New York Knicks
In his second full season with the Knicks, Anthony put New York back in the top tier of the league. He was selected for his sixth All-Star game and was on the All-NBA 2nd Team. He also got 3rd place in the MVP race, only behind near-unanimous LeBron and next year’s MVP, Kevin Durant (Anthony was the reason LeBron wasn’t unanimous, having the one vote that kept the feat from happening). He led the Knicks to the No. 2 seed, eventually losing to the Pacers in the semifinal round. Carmelo put up almost 29 points a game on 45/38/83 splits. Melo’s career-best year garnered a pound for pound score of 4.78.
21. 1985-1986 Adrian Dantley, small forward, Utah Jazz
Dantley was in the tail end of his prime when he had a resurgence as a pure scorer. He was just coming off of a slightly down year after averaging 30+ points a game the four seasons before. This was his last year getting a spot in the All-Star game. AD led the Jazz, along with a young John Stockton and an even younger Karl Malone, to the playoffs as the No. 5 seed and lost in the first round to the Mavericks. Dantley’s last true year of stardom got him a pound for pound score of 4.71.
20. 2006-2007 Gilbert Arenas, point guard, Washington Wizards
Arenas just came fresh off of his best season, averaging 29 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals, and followed that up with a season just as good. He was selected to his third and final All-Star game and finished the season on the All-NBA 2nd Team. He also finished 8th in MVP voting. He led his Wizards to the No. 7 seed and a sweep to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers. Pre-gun suspension Agent Zero was a different beast, averaging 28 points a game on 42/35/84 splits, and finished with a pound for pound score of 4.7.
19. 2019-2020 Luka Dončić, point guard, Dallas Mavericks
Young superstar Luka Dončić began his path to being one of the game’s current best in the shortened 2019-20 season, blazing his path to superstardom with his first career All-Star game, All-NBA 1st Team selection, and All-Bubble 1st Team selection. Dončić finished 4th in MVP voting, an unprecedented achievement for a player in only his second year in the league. He led his Mavericks to the No. 7 seed and went toe-to-toe with the 2 seeded Clippers, eventually losing in six. He averaged a crazy 29, 9, and 9 on 46/32/76 shooting splits. Luka Magic’s stellar second year of an almost sure stellar career gave him a pound for pound score of 4.67.
18. 2020-2021 Zach LaVine, shooting guard, Chicago Bulls
High-flying Zach LaVine had a career year in his fourth year with the Bulls. He was selected to his first career All-Star game and was the only real ray of light on a lackluster Bulls squad. They finished 11th in the Eastern Conference, but not at the fault of LaVine, who put up over 27 points a game and almost had a 50/40/90 season, falling 5% short on his free throws. LaVine’s first year of his prime finished with a pound for pound score of 4.67.
17. 1987-1988 Dominique Wilkins, small forward, Atlanta Hawks
The Human Highlight Film had his best scoring season in 1987-88. He was in the thick of his prime, earning an All-Star game berth, a 2nd Team All-NBA selection, and 6th place in voting for MVP. Nique carried the Hawks to the No. 4 seed, eventually losing to the Celtics in seven in the semifinal round. He averaged almost 31 points a game, as well as six rebounds and 1.5 steals. Wilkins’ scoring outburst gave his career year a pound for pound score of 4.63.
16. 2019-2020 Giannis Antetokounmpo, power forward, Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s bubble year was one for the ages. He was an All-Star, All-NBA 1st teamer, All-Defensive 1st teamer, All-Bubble 2nd teamer, Defensive Player of the Year, and MVP, his second in a row. Giannis and fellow All-Star Khris Middleton led the Bucks to the best record in the league. Milwaukee ended up getting gentlemen swept by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in the semifinal round. He averaged an insane 29.5 points, almost 14 rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block per contest. The Greek Freak’s second straight MVP season gave him a pound for pound score of 4.62.
15. 2020-2021 Bradley Beal, shooting guard, Washington Wizards
Bradley Beal made a case for himself as one of the best pure scorers in the league in his scoring champ runner-up season, just barely losing out to an insane Steph Curry. He was an All-Star and an All-NBA 3rd teamer. He and former MVP Russell Westbrook fought to keep their Wizards in the playoff hunt, winning one of two play-in games, securing the No. 8 seed, only to lose to the 76ers in five. Brad put up a ridiculous 31.3 points a game and had four boards and four dimes to go along with it. Big Panda’s career-best year cumulated a pound for pound score of 4.45, our first pound for pound score to eclipse Allen Iverson’s career mark, as found by JxmyHighroller.
14. 2008-2009 Dwyane Wade, shooting guard, Miami Heat
Having already been a solidified star since his second year in the league, it was no surprise when Dwyane Wade took a massive leap in his play in 2008-09. He was selected for his fifth All-Star game this season. Wade was a part of the All-NBA 1st Team and the All-Defensive 2nd Team, and he came in 3rd in MVP voting. He carried his team to the No. 5 seed in the playoffs, losing in seven to their division-rival Atlanta Hawks. He averaged a league-high 30.2 points per game, as well as 7.5 assists, over 2 steals, and almost 1.5 blocks. Flash’s scoring champion season totaled together a pound for pound score of 4.45.
13. 1979-1980 World B. Free, shooting guard, San Diego Clippers
The forgotten career of World B. Free peaked in his lone All-Star season of ‘79-’80. The San Diego Clippers missed the playoffs that year, but not at the fault of Free. He averaged over 30 points a game and was second in the league in scoring (only behind George Gervin and his ridiculous 33.1 PPG). He also dished out over four assists and grabbed 3.5 boards. The Prince of Mid-Air’s spectacular season adds up to a pound for pound score of 4.43.
12. 2002-2003 Tracy McGrady, shooting guard, Orlando Magic
At 22, Tracy McGrady was already one of the most dazzling players in the NBA, and he stepped it up to a whole other level in 2002-03. He was selected for his third career All-Star game, and he was given a spot on the All-NBA 1st Team. He also was 4th in MVP voting. McGrady carried the Magic to a playoff berth, blowing a 3-1 series lead over the No. 1 seeded Pistons in the first round. He averaged a league-high (and career-high) 32.1 points per contest, and he had 6.5 boards and 5.5 assists. T-Mac’s career year at the crisp, young age of 23 racked up a pound for pound score of 4.4.
11. 2020-2021 Damian Lillard, point guard, Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard has always been a high-level scorer, never averaging less than 19 points a game in his career, and that was evident in his most recent All-Star season. He made the All-NBA 2nd Team and finished 7th in MVP voting. He was also the recipient of the Teammate of the Year Award. Lillard and star teammate CJ McCollum led their Blazers to the No. 6 seed, losing to the Denver Nuggets in the first round. Lillard put up almost 29 points a game on 45/39/93 splits and dished out an impressive 7.5 assists on top of that. Dame’s sixth All-Star season got a pound for pound score of 4.38.
10. 1984-1985 Bernard King, small forward, New York Knicks
Before his devastating knee injury in 1985, Bernard King was one of the most explosive players in the game, and his ‘84-’85 season was the last example of that. He earned a spot in the All-Star game, as well as on the All-NBA 1st Team. He also finished 7th in MVP voting. The Knicks were terrible that year, finishing with the third-worst record in the league at an atrocious 24-58, but King was not to blame. He finished with almost 33 points, six rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. B’s PPG was good enough to lead the league, and it was good enough to get him a pound for pound score of 4.29.
9. 2005-2006 Kobe Bryant, shooting guard, Los Angeles Lakers
In one of the best careers in NBA history and countless amazing seasons, Kobe Bryant’s 2005-06 season seems to always be forgotten, even though it was arguably his best. This season featured his last year wearing the number 8 jersey, and it was when he scored 81 on the Raptors, the second-most points in a game in league history. He was an All-Star this season. He also was on both the All-NBA and All-Defensive 1st Teams and finished 4th in MVP voting. He carried his Lakers to the No. 7 seed, blowing a 3-1 lead in the first round to the Suns. Bryant averaged a career-high 35.4 points per game and a near career-high of 1.8 steals per game. His 35.4 was good enough to be the 9th highest PPG average in a single season in NBA history. Mamba’s dark horse candidate for the best season in his career, and potentially in the running for the best personal season by any player, got a pound for pound score of 4.04.
8. 1981-1982 Geroge Gervin, shooting guard, San Antonio Spurs
George Gervin was one of the best scorers to join the NBA via the merger in 1976, and led the Spurs to early NBA success, with one of their most successful post-merger seasons being one of his best personal seasons. He was an All-Star, and he made the 1st Team All-NBA. He also finished 6th in MVP voting. Gervin led his Spurs to the No. 2 seed, and they got swept in the semifinals to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers. He led the league in scoring with 32.3 points a game on 50/28/86 splits. Iceman’s last career scoring champion season secured him a pound for pound score of 3.99.
7. 2016-2017 Russell Westbrook, point guard, Oklahoma City Thunder
In one of the most amazing single seasons that I have ever had the pleasure of following closely, Russell Westbrook caught the league by surprise by doing what was previously thought never to be done again, and he did it without his former superstar teammate Kevin Durant, who had left the team in free agency just months before. He was an All-Star and an All-NBA 1st-teamer. He also secured MVP honors. Westbrook carried his Thunder to the No. 6 seed, and they lost in the first round to the Rockets in five games. He averaged 31, 10, and 10, only the second player to ever average a triple-double throughout an entire season (Oscar Robertson in ‘61-’62), and he also had 42 triple-doubles, the most for a single season in NBA history. Brodie’s historic year (and one of my all-time favorite seasons by a player) gathered a pound for pound score of 3.91.
6. 2005-2006 Allen Iverson, shooting guard, Philadelphia 76ers
When I was doing research for this, I was SURE that Allen Iverson’s MVP season would be at the top of this list, but it wasn’t even his best scoring season in general. That title goes to his 2005-06 season. He was an All-Star, earned his final All-NBA honors on the 3rd Team, and finished 10th in MVP voting. The Sixers missed the playoffs, as the only help that Iverson had was second-year Andre Iguodala, second-year Kyle Korver, fourth-year Sam Dalembert and a washed Chris Webber. He averaged 33 points, second only to Kobe’s 35.4, 7.5 steals, and almost two steals per game. The Answer’s amazing personal season, although a disappointing team season, got a pound for pound score of 3.89.
5. 2021-2022 Trae Young, point guard, Atlanta Hawks
Ever since Trae Young and Luka Dončić got traded for each other on draft night, people have been calling this one of the best win-win trades in recent years, and that was exemplified in the ‘21-’22 season. He earned a spot in the All-Star game, and he was selected for the All-NBA 3rd Team. Young’s Hawks ended as the No. 9 seed, but they won their play-in games and secured a playoff spot. They ended up losing to the Heat in five. He put up a ridiculous 28.4 points per contest and almost 10 assists to go along with it. Ice Trae’s current career-best year caps off with a pound for pound score of 3.88.
4. 2018-2019 James Harden, shooting guard, Houston Rockets
James Harden had always been regarded as one of the premier scorers in the NBA, but he highlighted that with one of the greatest scoring seasons that a player has ever had in 2018-19. He was an All-Star and an All-NBA 1st-teamer. He also finished 2nd in MVP voting. Harden and superstar teammate Chris Paul led the Rockets to the No. 4 seed, finishing their season in the semifinals against the eventual Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors in six games. He averaged over 36 points per game (had a 32-game stretch of scoring at least 30 points), the second most by a guard ever in a season, behind only a young Michael Jordan, and had 7.5 assists and 6.5 rebounds to go on top of that. The Beard’s all-time season comes in with a pound for pound score of 3.81.
3. 1986-1987 Michael Jordan, shooting guard, Chicago Bulls
The aforementioned “young Michael Jordan” season is this one. His ‘86-’87 season was the highest scoring single season by any player that was not named Wilt Chamberlain. He was an All-Star, and he made the All-NBA 1st Team. He finished 2nd in MVP voting, right behind Magic Johnson. He carried the Bulls to the No. 8 seed and got swept by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. Jordan averaged an absurd 37.1 points per game. He only scored less than 30 points 15 times in 82 games, and he scored at least 45 in 16 games. Air Jordan’s greatest career scoring season clocks in with a pound for pound score of 3.81.
2. 2016-2017 Isaiah Thomas, point guard, Boston Celtics
Isaiah Thomas’ career-best year was one of the most impressive seasons by an NBA player that I have ever seen. He had the best scoring season by anyone that was 5’9” or shorter in NBA history. He was an All-Star and an All-NBA 2nd teamer. He also finished 5th in MVP voting. He led his Celtics to the No. 1 overall seed, and they had their season ended in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Cavaliers in five games. Thomas put up a ridiculous 28.9 on 46/38/91 splits. The King in the Fourth’s historic season, especially for the very limited number of short kings in the NBA, comes in with a pound for pound score of 3.81, leaving one player that’s been left off of the list for this long…
2020-2021 Stephen Curry, point guard, Golden State Warriors
Steph Curry has been one of the best scorers in the league since his first All-Star season, but his absolute best was in the 2020-21 season. The league was recovering from the postponed 2019-20 season that ended in October of 2020 in the Orlando Bubble. Because the last season had ended so late, the NBA had decided to shorten the 2020-21 season by 10 games. He was an All-Star and was on the All-NBA 1st Team. He also finished 3rd in MVP voting, just behind Nikola Jokić and Joel Embiid. His Warriors finished as the No. 8 seed, but lost both of their play-in games, resulting in them missing the playoffs, but not to the fault of Curry. He averaged a career-high 32 points per game on 48/42/92 splits. He also had almost six assists, 5.5 rebounds per game, and over one steal per game. Chef Curry’s best scoring season gives us our all-time greatest pound for pound scoring season in NBA history, with a pound for pound score of 3.78.
Turns out I was one for three in guessing some of the best pound for pound seasons. I got the I.T. season, but I was a bit off with Curry and Iverson, even though they were both on the list. Looking at these scores, there were three things revealed to me. Number one: when there is a small guy in the league that is a good scorer, he is a GOOD scorer. Because of the size discrepancies in the league, a player will have to be ridiculously good as a small player. Even if they are an above-average player, they won’t get the opportunities they might deserve because of their small stature. Number two: the change that has occurred over the years in the pace of the game is crazy. I spent hours trying to find the points per 100 possessions for players like Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Walt Bellamy, and Bob Pettit since they were playing before any available stats like points/100, but once I studied their stats and the pace of the league, I found that their stats were insanely bloated. In his 50 PPG season, Wilt played 48.5 minutes per game, and the Warriors had a team pace of 131.1, meaning that even if he still played his 48.5 minutes if his team had a pace of 100, he would have averaged somewhere between 35 and 40 points per game. That is the main reason why I didn’t want to include any season before the 1973-74 season because the stats were so inflated in the ‘60s. Number three: World B. Free should be a Hall of Famer. Of his 13 seasons in the NBA, he averaged at least 15 points per game in 10 of them, and at least 22 in eight of them. He was cursed by being on some God-awful teams, only making the playoffs five times, with three of those five times being before he was a starter, one time when he was washed and barely playing, and once when he was a legit star, but that series was as the eighth-seed against the league-best Boston Celtics. He was never given a good chance with any competent players. And, if absolutely nothing else, his name is Hall of Fame worthy. To wrap all this up, these might be some of the greatest scoring seasons in general, but these solidified some of JxmyHighroller’s findings, as nine out of his top 10 career pound for pound scorers made this list. I want to give one last shout-out to him because he came up with an amazing formula that worked perfectly for this.
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