Can you guess which NBA players led every decade in PPG in history?

• Michael Jordan is the only player to lead more than one decade in PPG

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, and Wilt Chamberlain are the only players to lead the same decade in both total points and PPG

• Every decade leader in PPG is also top 20 in NBA history in PPG except for Giannis Antetokounmpo

Over the years, there have been various ways in which we have broken down every stat and aspect of the game of basketball. Usually, it all comes down to the old fashion totals versus per-game argument that has been going on since the beginning of time. Lucky for you, we have already taken an adventure through every NBA decade regarding total points and rebounds. Today, it is finally time to look at each decade on a per-game basis.

As we step into our time machine for a look at every leader in PPG for every decade of NBA play, we will add context such as games played, scoring titles, championships, and so much more along the way. Most of these players were not their respective decade’s leaders in total points but outperformed everyone on a per-game basis which many would say is more impressive than a longevity stat such as totals. However, that is not the argument below.

The players below could be counted on every time they hit the court to be the best offensive player out there for a 10-year stretch which is something that is as difficult as anything else to accomplish in the game. There may be some confusion about the way we look at decades so take a look at this template for reference:

1950 to 1959

1960 to 1969

1970 to 1979

1980 to 1989

1990 to 1999

2000 to 2009

2010 to 2019

2020 to Present

Without any further interruption, these are the NBA’s leaders in PPG per decade.

1950s – Bob Pettit And Elgin Baylor – 24.9 PPG

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The Leaders In PPG For The 1950s:

T1. Bob Pettit – 24.9 PPG

T1. Elgin Baylor – 24.9 PPG

3. Paul Arizin – 23.0 PPG

4. Alex Groza – 22.5 PPG

5. George Mikan – 22.3 PPG

We start off the decades’ countdown with a tie atop the leaderboard in PPG for the 1950s between the St. Louis Hawks’ Bob Pettit and the Lakers’ Elgin Baylor. Pettit’s 24.9 PPG is much more impressive, considering he did it over the course of 357 games as opposed to Baylor having just one season under his belt. For Pettit, it was five seasons that qualified for the 1950s in which he won two scoring titles in 1956 and 1959 as well as an NBA championship in 1958. Pettit was also the winner of two MVP awards which came when he led the NBA in scoring in 1956 with 25.7 PPG and in 1959 with 29.2 PPG.

As impressive as Baylor’s rookie season was, it pales in comparison to Pettit’s consistency. Now, Baylor would go on to become one of the game’s best scorers so his spot on this list isn’t totally out of place. As a rookie, he averaged 24.9 PPG on 40.8% shooting and won the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award. Rounding out the top three for the decade would be Paul Arixin who played all but three seasons during the 1950s. Arizin was a winner of the scoring title in 1952 with 25.4 PPG in 66 games and again in 1957 with 25.6 PPG in 71 games.

1960s – Wilt Chamberlain – 34.4 PPG

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The Leaders In PPG For The 1960s:

1. Wilt Chamberlain – 34.4 PPG

2. Rick Barry – 30.6 PPG

3. Oscar Robertson – 29.7 PPG

4. Elvin Hayes – 28.4 PPG

5. Elgin Baylor – 28.1 PPG

As far as scoring and statistics go, Wilt Chamberlain dominated the 1960s like no other player dominated any decade. Chamberlain was as unstoppable as they come right from the beginning of his career. He would win seven straight scoring titles from 1960 through 1966 to begin his career averaging 39.6 PPG over that stretch. He also set the single-season PPG record in 1962 with 50.4 PPG, a feat that will most likely never be duplicated again in NBA history. He would also have four other seasons of over 35.0 PPG including a 44.8 PPG season in 1963.

Rick Barry is the only other player during the decade to average over 30.0 PPG. Technically, it would be just his rookie and second seasons that count toward his overall PPG in the decade after leaving the NBA in 1968 to play in the ABA. In just his second season in 1968, Barry would win the scoring title averaging 35.6 PPG. The final player in the top-three for the 1960s would be Oscar Robertson who fell just under the 30.0 PPG mark with 29.7 PPG in the 60s. Robertson would play a total of nine seasons and would have six different seasons with over 30.0 PPG in the 1960s and won his only scoring title in 1968 with 29.2 PPG.

1970s – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 28.6 PPG

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The Leaders In PPG For The 1970s:

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 28.6 PPG

2. Bob McAdoo- 27.4 PPG

3. George Gervin – 26.6 PPG

4. Jerry West – 26.1 PPG

5. David Thompson – 27.1 PPG

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the 1970s in both total points and PPG in his time with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. Kareem burst onto the scene with the Bucks in 1970 with a mammoth Rookie of the Year campaign. He would then go on to win a scoring title, MVP, championship, and Finals MVP in 1971 averaging 31.7 PPG. In 1972, he would win his second scoring title with 34.8 PPG on 57.4% shooting from the field. In six seasons with the Bucks from 1970 through 1975, he averaged 30.4 PPG on 54.7% shooting. In four seasons with the Lakers from 1976 through 1979, he averaged 25.9 PPG on 55.8% shooting overall.

Coming in just 1.0 PPG shy of Kareem is former MVP and scoring champion Bob McAdoo. He played seven seasons in the 1970s from 1973 through 1979 with the Buffalo Braves, Knicks, Celtics, and Pistons. His best offensive output came with the Clippers where he won three straight scoring titles from 1974 through 1976. Over that time, he averaged 32.1 PPG and led the NBA in field goal percentage in 1974. McAdoo would average 28.2 PPG in five seasons with the Braves and 26.7 PPG in two and a half seasons with the Knicks.

Rounding out the top three is one of the most explosive and gifted scorers of the 1970s, George Gervin. With just three seasons under his belt in the decade, Gerving qualifies for third place in the decade with 26.6 PPG on 54.0% shooting. In 1978 and 1979 with the Spurs, Gervin would win the first two of his four career NBA scoring titles. He won the title in 1978 averaging 27.2 PPG on 53.6% shooting in 82 games played. In 1979, he won the scoring title again averaging 29.6 PPG on 54.1% shooting and 80 games played.

1980s – Michael Jordan – 32.6 PPG

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The Leaders In PPG For The 1980s:

1. Michael Jordan – 32.6 PPG

2. Adrian Dantley – 26.5 PPG

T3. Dominique Wilkins – 26.0 PPG

T3. George Gervin – 26.0 PPG

5. Alex English – 25.9 PPG

While Michael Jordan did not lead a single decade in total points, he led two different decades in PPG. After making his debut in 1984-85, Michael Jordan would quickly embark on the greatest career scoring display in NBA history. In his four healthy seasons during the 1980s, Jordan would not average less than 28.0 PPG in any season while winning three scoring titles in a row from 1987 through 1989. Jordan would average 35.0 PPG or better twice during the decade, including a career-high 37.1 PPG in 82 games played in 1987. Although it didn’t translate to NBA championships yet, it would soon enough as the GOAT was just getting started.

Adrian Dantley deserves a lot more recognition for the scorer he was during the 1980s. Dantley would play the entirety of the decade with the Jazz, Pistons, and Mavericks. His peak as a scorer came with the Jazz from 1980 through 1986 when he averaged 29.6 PPG on 56.2% shooting. During this time, he would also capture both of his career scoring titles. In 1981, Dantley would average 30.7 PPG on 55.9% shooting, and in 1984, he would average 30.6 PPG on 55.8% shooting.

Both Dominique Wilkins and George Gervin would average 26.0 PPG for the 1980s, tying them for third place in the decade. During this time, Wilkins was an NBA scoring champ in 1986 when he averaged 30.3 PPG for the Hawks. Wilkins would also average over 30.0 PPG in 1988 with 30.7 PPG. As for Gervin, he would win two more scoring titles in the 1980s in 1980 and 1982. In both of his scoring title seasons, Gervin averaged over 32.0 PPG and shot over 50.0% from the field.

1990s – Michael Jordan – 30.8 PPG

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The Leaders In PPG For The 1990s

1. Michael Jordan – 30.8 PPG

2. Karl Malone – 27.2 PPG

3. Shaquille O’Neal – 27.1 PPG

4. David Robinson – 24.4 PPG

5. Patrick Ewing – 24.1 PPG

As I alluded to before, Jordan was the NBA’s per-game leader in scoring for both the 1980s and 1990s. The 1990s saw a different type of dominance from Jordan during this time, one that spelled bad news for the rest of the NBA. Jordan would win seven more scoring titles during the 1990s from 1990 through 1993 and then again from 1996 through 1998. Also during this time, he would lead the Bulls to six NBA championships by way of two three-peats from 1991 through 1993 and 1996 through 1998. He was named MVP four times during this streak as well as Finals MVP for all six championship runs. It is the single greatest peak in NBA history.

Karl Malone was the 1990s leader in total points but fell short in the PPG category by 3.6 PPG. Malone would likely have at least one scoring title if Michael Jordan didn’t exist and he averaged 25.0 PPG or more every year from 1990 through 1998. Shaquille O’Neal finished just short of second place for the 1990s with 27.1 PPG for the decade. O’Neal made his debut for the Magic in 1992-3 and won his first scoring title in 1995. O’Neal also led the NBA in field goal percentage three times during the 90s and averaged over 26.0 PPG in six of the seven seasons he played.

2000s – Kobe Bryant – 28.2 PPG

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The Leaders In PPG For The 2000s:

1. Kobe Bryant – 28.2 PPG

2. Allen Iverson – 28.1 PPG

3. LeBron James – 27.5 PPG

4. Dwyane Wade – 25.2 PPG

5. Tracy McGrady 24.4 PPG

The 2000s were seen as one of the grittiest defensive eras that the game has ever seen and one man rose above it all to lead the decade in scoring. Kobe Bryant was relentless during the 2000s, winning all five of his NBA titles, one of his Finals MVPs, and two scoring titles during the decade. Bryant had his best scoring stretch of the decade from 2003 through 2009. In 2003, he would average 30.0 PPG for the first time and in 2006 and 2007, he would win back-to-back scoring titles averaging 35.4 PPG and 31.6 PPG respectively. When you think of 2000s basketball and its best scorers, Kobe Bryant is the first name that comes up.

There are only two players in the 2000s who even came close to challenging for Kobe’s title. Allen Iverson finished right behind Bryant with 28.1 PPG. Iverson was also relentless during the decade, winning three of his four career scoring titles and recording four different 30.0 PPG seasons. The other play that challenged Bryant was a young LeBron James. LeBron averaged 25.0 PPG or more every season from 2004-05 forward while also having two 30.0 PPG seasons in 2006 and 2008. In 2008, he won his first and only scoring title with 30.0 PPG on 48.4% shooting.

2010s – Kevin Durant – 28.0 PPG

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The Leaders In PPG For The 2010s:

1. Kevin Durant – 28.0 PPG

2. LeBron James – 26.9 PPG

3. Kobe Bryant – 24.7 PPG

T4. James Harden – 24.3 PPG

T4. Joel Embiid – 24.3 PPG

The 2010s was an interesting decade, to say the least when it comes to scoring with two players emerging as two of the greatest scorers in NBA history. The first player I speak of is Kevin Durant who not only showed he can dominate all three levels of offense but do it efficiently as well. Durant would win all four of his scoring titles in the 2010s starting in 2010 with 30.1 PPG. He would win three more in 2011, 2012, and 2014 averaging 29.3 PPG on 49.3% shooting during that stretch. In his three seasons with the Warriors from 2017 through 2019, Durant would average 25.8 PPG while leading them to two NBA titles and winning two Finals MVP awards.

The second of those all-time great scorers would be LeBron James who mastered tallying total points and put him on the path to becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. James accomplished that feat in 2023. James was also as consistent as it gets on a per-game basis during the 2010s. In all 10 seasons with the Cavaliers, Heat, and Lakers, James never averaged less than 25.0 PPG and averaged as much as 29.7 PPG. He averaged over 27.0 PPG five times during the decade as well including back-to-back to end the decade in 2018 and 2019.

2020s – Giannis Antetokounmpo – 29.7 PPG

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The Leaders For PPG In The 2020s:

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo – 29.7 PPG

T2. Damian Lillard – 29.4 PPG

T2. – Luka Doncic – 29.4 PPG

4. Joel Embiid – 29.2 PPG

5. Kevin Durant – 28.8 PPG

The 2020s have gotten off to quite a peculiar start when it comes to the best per-game scorers. Leading the pack is the unstoppable Giannis Antetokounmpo, who started off the decade winning his second MVP award in 2020. Giannis has been one of the top players in the NBA this decade, winning an NBA title and championship in 2021 as well. When it comes to scoring, he has been incredible averaging better than 28.0 PPG each season. In 2022-23, Giannis averaged a career-high 31.1 PPG which means he could maintain his status atop this list for a long time to come.

However, right on his heels is another young star who has been a scoring machine this decade. Luka Doncic may not have the accolades to match Giannis just yet but his scoring numbers already are. Doncic has put up 29.4 PPG this decade already with four seasons under his belt out of five total in the league. In 2022-23, Doncic also averaged a career-high 32.4 PPG with much improvement in his efficiency in shooting the ball. Could this be the start of a string of 30.0 PPG seasons for him?

Also tied with Doncic for second place is another star coming off a career-best season, Damian Lillard. Lillard is a veteran compared to Doncic and Antetokounmpo but is scoring at the same rate nonetheless. In 2020, Lillard would have the first 30.0 PPG season of his career. However, he would top that in 2022-23. In 58 games this season, Lillard averaged 32.2 PPG including a 71-point game many will not soon forget. Although it is uncertain where he will play in 2023-24, what is certain is that whoever it is, they are getting one of the game’s best scorers.