James Harden may be in the twilight of his career at 36, but that hasn’t stopped him from tying Kobe Bryant for the most 50-point games in NBA history.
The LA Clippers guard is rolling back the years by averaging 28.4 points through 15 appearances in 2025.
Here are the 10 players with the most 50-point games in NBA history.
1. Wilt Chamberlain – 118
Wilt Chamberlain set scoring standards that will never be beaten in modern-day NBA. His 100-point game in 1962 still sits alone in NBA history, but that night wasn’t an outlier.
He had 15 games of 70+ points, including 78 against the Lakers in triple overtime and 73 on two separate occasions.
Chamberlain also logged 45 games with 60+, routinely overpowering entire frontcourts with a mix of size, strength, and stamina.
In an eight-year stretch, he scored 50 or more at a rate that modern stars couldn’t dream of matching.
2. Michael Jordan – 31
Michael Jordan delivered some of the most dominant scoring nights in NBA history. He produced 31 games with 50 points or more.
His biggest outbursts came during the Bulls’ title years. He scored 54 against the Knicks in the 1993 playoffs and hit 55 at Madison Square Garden in 1995.
He dropped 51 and 55 in separate games during the 1996–97 season. Jordan also had a 61-point game in 1987, part of the run that pushed him to a career-high 37.1 points per game.
Jordan is a winner on and off the court, making billions since retiring from the NBA.
3. Kobe Bryant – 25
Kobe Bryant posted 25 games with 50 or more points, placing him alongside the greatest scorers in league history.
His peak run came in 2006 and 2007. He famously scored 81 against the Raptors, the second-highest total ever recorded, and later hit 62 in three quarters against Dallas.
He also delivered four straight 50-point games in March 2007, a stretch only Wilt Chamberlain had touched before him.
Bryant collected five games of 60+ points and produced 122 games with 40 or more.
4. James Harden – 25
James Harden tied Kobe Bryant for third all-time when he scored 55 against the Charlotte Hornets in November 2025. It was also the highest single-game total in Clippers history.
Harden built his scoring legacy in Houston, where he produced his biggest runs.
He dropped 60 or more four times, including 61 at Madison Square Garden and another 61 against San Antonio.
His step-back three became the league’s most recognisable scoring weapon, helping him average at least 30 points in three straight seasons.
5. Elgin Baylor – 17
Elgin Baylor produced 17 games with 50 points or more, a total that still stands out decades after his retirement.
He set an NBA Finals record with 61 points in 1962, a mark that has never been broken.
Baylor averaged 38.3 points per game that season and had seven outings of 50 or more.
He followed that with a 52-point performance in 1963 and remained a consistent high-volume scorer through injuries and changing eras.
6. Damian Lillard – 15
Damian Lillard has produced 15 games with 50 points or more, built on deep-range shooting and late-game bursts.
His career high is 71 against Houston in 2023, a night that included 13 made threes
He also scored 61 twice during his Portland years and used long stretches of isolation scoring to carry undermanned teams.
Lillard’s 55-point playoff performance in 2021, which included 12 threes, remains one of the most efficient high-volume games in postseason history.
7. LeBron James – 14
LeBron James has 14 games with 50 points or more, a total built across two decades and four franchises.
His biggest outing was 61 against Charlotte in 2014, when he shot 22-of-33 from the field.
He scored 57 against Washington in 2017 and added multiple 50-point games during the Lakers’ 2022 season, long after most players slow down.
He also has two 50-point games in the playoffs, including 51 in Game 1 of the 2018 Finals.
