Which NBA players have scored the most points in the playoffs?

As a career-long Laker, “Big Game James” had some notable teammates that overshadowed him. Of course, those teammates also helped him play deep into many postseasons. His seven All-Star Games helped Worthy secure a spot in the Hall, but so did the three rings, and the 3,022 playoff points.

Speaking of guys overshadowed by teammates, Klay will be forever linked to another guy higher up on this list. Notably, the Warriors dynasty has diminished, and Thompson’s decrease in play has been a key part of that. Still, he was far from a hanger-on for Golden State’s four titles during its dynastic run, and maybe he will add to his postseason points and get further up this list.

Ginobili did not debut in the NBA until he was 25, but he made up for lost time. While he only won Sixth Man of the Year once, he is also perhaps the quintessential sixth man. He provided the punch off the bench for the Spurs en route to four titles and a spot in the Hall of Fame. Granted, his international play for Argentina helped on that front, but Manu had a great NBA career, which included 3,054 postseason points.

This being an NBA list, the good doctor’s five years in the ABA, during which he won MVP three times, were not included. He happens to be eighth in playoff points in that league's history. In the NBA, he’s not quite so far up the list, but Irving’s 3,088 postseason points are immensely impressive.

This list is packed with luminaries, and Johnson is probably the least luminous. Even so, he is a Hall of Famer. While Johnson is best known for his defensive skills, and while he only averaged 14.1 points per game in his career, he played for the Boston Celtics in the 1980s. That’s a big reason why he played in 180 playoff games, and how he ended up with 3,116 postseason points.

Another Celtic! Spoiler: There are several Celtics on this list. Pierce is a polarizing figure, though one NBA player surveyed during the 2023-24 season called him the greatest player of all time. He also only has one ring. That being said, Pierce played in the NBA for 19 seasons, and he played in the postseason 14 times. The Hall of Famer notched 3,180 playoff points.

If Pierce had made one more bucket, he could have tied his fellow Celtic. Yes, McHale had 3,182 playoff points in his career. He was a strong rebounder and also a two-time Sixth Man of the Year winner. His defensive skills were notable, but McHale got plenty of buckets as well.

Yes, it’s a little surprising Chamberlain, a man who racked up points at remarkable levels, is only 21st in playoff points. That being said, there is a huge jump from McHale to “Wilt the Stilt.” Chamberlain retired with 3,607 playoff points. Facing down Bill Russell many times over didn’t help Wilt, and he did play in “only” 160 postseason games. Still, for a four-time MVP, it’s surprising Wilt is this low.

Baylor never won MVP, but he got buckets. He averaged over 30 points per game three times in his career. Baylor also never won a ring, even though he played his entire career with the Lakers. Also, starting his career in 1959, there were fewer possible playoff games for him to play in as is. The Hall of Famer got buckets with gusto, though, tallying 3,623 postseason points.

Some people call Pippen a “Robin,” but if he was, he’s the best “Robin” in NBA history. We aren’t going to pretend like you don’t know he was the second star on the Bulls next to Michael Jordan for six title teams. Pippen was a great player, though, and he made the Hall of Fame rightfully. He averaged 17.5 points per game in the playoffs but averaged over 20 points per game in four NBA Finals.

The greatest Maverick of all-time, Nowitzki led the franchise to its only title to date, winning Finals MVP in the process. Dirk helped change the NBA landscape as a sweet-shooting seven-footer, and also led every NBA team to scour Europe for talent. The German was the centerpiece basically every time the Mavs made the playoffs, which is why he averaged 25.3 points per game over 15 playoff appearances. He retired with 3,663 playoff points.

Magic was an amazing passer. He’s not best known for his scoring. However, the Lakers icon won three MVPs, and he could score. It helped Johnson rack up the postseason points that the Lakers made the playoffs in all 13 seasons of his career, winning five titles. All those playoff games led to 3,701 points.

Harden is still going, and will finish in the top 15 in playoff points when all is said and done. The top-10 is even a possibility. Back in the Rockets days, Harden was a “bucket,” as they say, leading the NBA in scoring three times. His playoff record is polarizing, and Harden has come up short several times, but the points speak for themselves.

Olajuwon famously won both his rings the two seasons when Michael Jordan retired, but that’s not the only reason he’s this high up the list in terms of playoff points. “The Dream” won Defensive Player of the Year twice, but he was also the go-to scoring option for the Rockets for years. He shook his way to 3,755 postseason points.

Bill Russell was the star, and the heartbeat, of the Celtics back in the day, but he’s not on this list, because scoring wasn’t his forte. Havlicek did the scoring, but he also delivered on defense as well. He made eight All-Defense teams, and also won eight NBA titles. All those rings paved the way to 3,776 playoff points.

Bird is the last Celtic on this list, the guy who took the reins from Havlicek more or less. Of course, Bird was a better player, and a better scorer. He won three MVPs for a reason. Bird also won Finals MVP two times out of three titles and retired with 3,897 points in the postseason.

You know Wade was good, but he was maybe even better than you realized? No, he was never an MVP, but he made the Hall of Fame with ease as one of the legends of his era. Wade made 13 All-Star Games and led the league in scoring once. He was the star scorer for his first title and then the second banana for the second two, but he racked up a ton of points in the playoffs. Specifically, Wade retired with 3,954 playoff points.

Presuming that the Warriors can make the playoffs again before Curry retires, he will end up in the top 10 and join the 4,000-point club. Curry’s three-point shooting helped change the NBA. He’s comfortably the all-time leader in career three-pointers, and raining treys have helped him reach the precipice of 4,000 points in the playoffs.

Parker kicks off the group of players with at least 4,000 playoff points. He had 4,045 by the time he retired. Credit that to sheer tonnage. The point guard was not an elite scorer, but he played the bulk of his career with the Spurs dynasty, which means he played in 226 postseason games.

West takes things to a new level thanks to his 4,457 playoff points. Famously, West is the only Finals MVP to play for a team that did not win the title. He was also a four-time runner up for regular-season MVP. It was a complicated career for West, but he was clearly a great player.

Malone is in the running for greatest player without an NBA title. It wasn’t for a lack of trying. He racked up points with the best of them. “The Mailman” is third in career points in the regular season, and eighth in the playoffs. Given that he retired with 4,761 playoff points, it will be a long time before anybody active catches him.

The most recent guy to catch Malone is Durant, who will probably catch him someday in terms of regular-season points as well. KD is eighth in career points, and he doesn’t seem primed to slow down too much. He’s a four-time scoring champ, and he is primed to hit the 5,000-point threshold the next time he takes the court in the playoffs.

Duncan is an all-timer. He played 19 NBA seasons, all with the Spurs. Duncan was a 15-time all-star, made 15 All-NBA teams, made 15 All-Defense teams, and won two MVPs. Oh, and three Finals MVP en route to five rings. While he wasn’t flashy, he’s called “The Big Fundamental” for a reason: Duncan’s skills led to 5,172 playoff points.

First, Shaq was the force that put the Magic on the map. Then, he played through his prime with the Lakers, where he won titles. He moved to the Heat, where he was 1A next to Wade. After that, O’Neal hung around trying to win another title, and in the process picked up a few more playoff points. Before that, he was already incredible, of course, already over 5,000 playoff points. The Hall of Famer retired with 5,250 postseason points, to be specific.

Shaq’s teammate ticks things up a notch. Kobe was a career-long Laker, and even more of a scorer than O’Neal was. He won five titles and was Finals MVP twice. Shaq had a ton of playoff points, but Kobe had 5,640, which is another level.

Unsurprisingly, we have another Lakers icon, though Kareem was no slouch in his days with the Bucks, either. Abdul-Jabbar played into his forties, which helped him add to his playoff game total. He took the court 237 times in the playoffs. Kareem retired with six NBA titles, and six NBA MVPs. Oh, and 5,762 playoff points.

Had Jordan not retired a couple of times, he would have 6,000 playoff points. Instead, he had to settle for 5,987 postseason points. What a slacker! Jordan was great in the regular season, but he was staggeringly good in the playoffs. Yes, Jordan won six rings, but he also won six Finals MVPs.

The 6,000-point club? Just LeBron. The 7,000-point club? Just LeBron. The 8,000-point club? You get the point. Look, there will forever be those who call Jordan the best player ever, but LeBron’s resume is as good, and arguably better. All he’s missing is a couple of rings. When it comes to points, nobody beats LeBron. He’s the regular season and playoff leader in terms of scoring. Truly, he is King James.