There are only 12 NBA players including the former and the current who have scored 27,000 or more points in their career. Kevin Durant is the latest player to break into the list. While some of the players like Elvin Hayes and Moses Malone took over 1,300 games to reach the milestone, players like LeBron James, Michael Jordan and others took fewer than 1,000 games to reach the milestone.
All the players in the 27k points category won at least a championship in their career, except Carmelo Anthony and Karl Malone.
With Durant breaking into the elite category, it is just a matter of time before other players Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry make their names into the list.
Here is the list of the five fastest players to reach 27,000 points.
5 fastest NBA players to 27,000 points
#5 LeBron James – 995 Games
LeBron James is the highest scorer in the NBA history with 38,879 points. He is one of the 12 players to register 27,000 points. He is one of the five players in the NBA who have achieved this feat in less than 1000 games. James touched the 27,000 mark in his 995th game during the 2016-17 season when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He is one of the two active players in the NBA with this feat as he continues to dominate the league at 38 years of age. James has played for three different teams in his career, playing for Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat and now with Los Angeles Lakers.
At an unprecedented longevity, LeBron is playing in his 21st season in the league. Over two decades in the league, LeBron has averaged 27.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists in 1,430 regular-season games.
He has been selected All-Star 19 times in his career. He has won a Rookie of the Year award, four regular season MVP awards, four Finals MVP awards and four NBA championships in his career. If he plays at this pace, it would almost be impossible to break his scoring record.
#4 Kevin Durant – 993 Games
Kevin Durant is largely considered one of the greatest offensive players in NBA history, if not the greatest. He is the most recent player to join the 27,000 points club and took only 993 games to reach the milestone. Durant was selected by the Seattle Supersonics, later the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He is one of the most gifted scorers in the league and in his first nine seasons, KD won four scoring titles. After the 2015-16 season, Durant moved to the Golden State Warriors, which is considered by many as one of the worst moves an NBA superstar.
He played three seasons with the Warriors and won two NBA titles and two Finals MVPs. He later moved to the Brooklyn Nets and then to the Phoenix Suns.
Over his 16 seasons in the NBA, Durant has averaged 27.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 996 regular-season games. He has won a Rookie of the Year award and a regular season MVP.
#3 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 965 Games
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the NBA’s highest scoring record for 39 years, almost four decades. He was one of the greatest offensive players in the game. Between his career with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers, Jabbar played 20 seasons. He took only 965 games to reach the 27,000 points milestone.
In his six seasons with the Bucks, from 1970 to 1975, Kareem won two scoring titles, three MVP awards and a Finals MVP. He was traded to the Lakers in the 1975 trade where he played for 14 seasons. During his stint with the Lakers, Kareem won five more league championships, three more regular season MVP awards and a Finals MVP.
During his career, Kareem averaged 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.6 blocks in 1,560 regular-season games. He was a 19-time All-Star and also won the Rookie Player of the Year award in the 1969-70 season with the Bucks.
#2 Michael Jordan – 852 Games
Arguably the greatest player to ever step on the basketball court. He won 10 scoring titles in during his 13 years with the Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan only took 852 games to reach the milestone and it only adds to his greatness. He played 15 seasons in the NBA playing with Bulls and the two seasons with the Washington Wizards.
Jordan took two seasons off with the Bulls while averaging 31.5 points per game on 50.5% shooting. He led his team to six NBA titles without losing an NBA Finals. During his stint with the Bulls, Jordan scored a total of 29,277 points. After two seasons with the Wizards, he ended his career with a total of 32,292 points.
Jordan has won a Rookie of the Year, a Defensive Player of the Year, five regular season MVPs and six NBA Finals MVPs in his 15 years of career in the league.
#1 Wilt Chamberlain – 780 Games
Wilt Chamberlain was arguably the most offensively dominant player in league history. He is the first and the only person to ever score 100 points in a single game. In his first 10 seasons, Chamberlain averaged 34.4 points, 24.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He was that freak of nature.
The Golden State Warriors legend won seven scoring titles in the first seven seasons of his career. During his 1961-62 season, he played 80 games and averaged 50.4 points per game and 25.7 rebounds. Knowing how dominant he was it shouldn’t be surprising that he only took 780 games to reach the feat.
Over 14 seasons that he played with the Warriors, Lakers, and 76ers, he scored a total of 31,419 points. He averaged 30.1 points, 22.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 1,045 regular-season games.
Chamberlain won a Rookie of the Year award, four MVP awards, a Finals MVP award and two league championships.