NBA
Who Has the Most NBA Scoring Titles?
Luke Norris began his sportswriting career in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2020. The former Section Editor of the NFL and Motorsports sections, he now spends his time here in the role of Senior Writer-Programmer. His well-rounded sports knowledge allows him to cover the NFL, NBA, PGA Tour, MLB, boxing, WWE, and NASCAR for Sportscasting. Luke is an avid golfer who finds inspiration in the way sports can bring people together and provide a distraction from the real world. He hopes to provide a little entertainment or an escape from the real world with every article he writes, even if only for a few minutes. In addition to his work here at Sportscasting, Luke's work has appeared on The Sportster, Inquisitr, GiveMeSport, FanSided, Yahoo! Fox Sports, and Sports Illustrated.
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It’s been more than three-quarters of a century since the NBA first opened its doors as the Basketball Association of America. And beginning with that inaugural 1946-47 campaign, 35 different players have claimed at least one scoring title, the latest being Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid.
Now, the NBA scoring title wasn’t always decided by the highest scoring average like it is today. Up until the 1969-70 season, the scoring title was decided by total points, although most of the winners in that era would have taken the crown either way.
Wilt Chamberlain won seven consecutive titles in that era, including the 1961-62 campaign in which he scored an incredible 4,029 points in 80 games for the then-Philadelphia Warriors, good for a 50.4 average. Both are obviously still NBA records. Over the course of his 14-year career, Chamberlain averaged 30.07 points, the second-highest mark of all time, trailing only the same man who won more scoring titles than he did: Michael Jordan.
During his 15-year career, the six-time NBA champion averaged 30.12 points per game and won a record 10 NBA scoring titles, all with the Chicago Bulls.
Not only are MJ and Wilt the only two men to win seven scoring titles, but they’re also the only two to win even five. Tied for third with four are George Gervin, Allen Iverson, and Kevin Durant. George Mikan, Neil Johnston, Bob McAdoo, and James Harden won three apiece.
Every NBA scoring champion in history
Here’s a quick look at every NBA scoring champion in history.
- 1946-47: Joe Fulks, Philadelphia Warriors
- 1947-48: Max Zaslofsky, Chicago Stags
- 1948-49: George Mikan, Minneapolis Lakers
- 1949-50: George Mikan, Minneapolis Lakers
- 1950-51: George Mikan, Minneapolis Lakers
- 1951-52: Paul Arizin, Philadelphia Warriors
- 1952-53: Neil Johnston, Philadelphia Warriors
- 1953-54: Neil Johnston, Philadelphia Warriors
- 1954-55: Neil Johnston, Philadelphia Warriors
- 1955-56: Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks
- 1956-57: Paul Arizin, Philadelphia Warriors
- 1957-58: George Yardley, Detroit Pistons
- 1958-59: Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks
- 1959-60: Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia Warriors
- 1960-61: Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia Warriors
- 1961-62: Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia Warriors
- 1962-63: Wilt Chamberlain, San Francisco Warriors
- 1963-64: Wilt Chamberlain, San Francisco Warriors
- 1964-65: Wilt Chamberlain, San Francisco Warriors/Philadelphia 76ers
- 1965-66: Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia 76ers
- 1966-67: Rick Barry, San Francisco Warriors
- 1967-68: Dave Bing, Detroit Pistons
- 1968-69: Elvin Hayes, San Diego Rockets
- 1969-70: Jerry West, Los Angeles Lakers
- 1970-71: Lew Alcindor, Milwaukee Bucks
- 1971-72: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee Bucks
- 1972-73: Nate Archibald, Kansas City-Omaha Kings
- 1973-74: Bob McAdoo, Buffalo Braves
- 1974-75: Bob McAdoo, Buffalo Braves
- 1975-76: Bob McAdoo, Buffalo Braves
- 1976-77: Pete Maravich, New Orleans Jazz
- 1977-78: George Gervin, San Antonio Spurs
- 1978-79: George Gervin, San Antonio Spurs
- 1979-80: George Gervin, San Antonio Spurs
- 1980-81: Adrian Dantley, Utah Jazz
- 1981-82: George Gervin, San Antonio Spurs
- 1982-83: Alex English, Denver Nuggets
- 1983-84: Adrian Dantley, Utah Jazz
- 1984-85: Bernard King, New York Knicks
- 1985-86: Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta Hawks
- 1986-87: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
- 1987-88: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
- 1988-89: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
- 1989-90: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
- 1990-91: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
- 1991-92: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
- 1992-93: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
- 1993-94: David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs
- 1994-95: Shaquille O’Neal, Orlando Magic
- 1995-96: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
- 1996-97: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
- 1997-98: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
- 1998-99: Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers
- 1999-00: Shaquille O’Neal, Los Angeles Lakers
- 2000-01: Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers
- 2001-02: Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers
- 2002-03: Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic
- 2003-04: Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic
- 2004-05: Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers
- 2005-06: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
- 2006-07: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
- 2007-08: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
- 2008-09: Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
- 2009-10: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
- 2010-11: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
- 2011-12: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
- 2012-13: Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
- 2013-14: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
- 2014-15: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
- 2015-16: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
- 2016-17: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
- 2017-18: James Harden, Houston Rockets
- 2018-19: James Harden, Houston Rockets
- 2019-20: James Harden, Houston Rockets
- 2020-21: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
- 2021-22: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference
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