Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Oklahoma City Thunder are amongst the NBA teams that drafted the most players who scored 20,000 or more points in their careers.

In NBA history, there have been exactly 51 players to reach the 20,000 points scored mark in their careers. Of those 51 players, eight are currently active, still looking to add to their totals and improve their status on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. It all began with a team willing to take a chance on them in the NBA Draft, whether it was as a part of their plans or if they were just used as a trade chip in another roster move.

Below are the NBA teams that drafted the most 20,000-point scorers in NBA history. We will dive into each team’s greatest draft selections, talk about their spots on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, and what they did throughout their careers as a whole. This will give us plenty of insight into which teams have gotten things right over the years in the NBA Draft as opposed to those who have only been lucky enough to land a 20,000-point scorer once, or not at all.

Draymond Green Calls Out Jusuf Nurkic For His CommentsOn InstagramRead More1. Golden State Warriors – 5 20,000-Point Scorers

1. Wilt Chamberlain – 31,419 Points

2. Vince Carter – 25,728 Points

3. Robert Parish – 23,334 Points

4. Stephen Curry – 23,031 Points

5. Mitch Richmond – 20,497 Points

Alone at the top of the list of teams that drafted the most 20,000-point scorers is the Golden State Warriors with five. Wilt Chamberlain tops that list as the only player to be drafted by the Warriors with over 30,000 points in his career. He played six seasons with the Warriors from 1960-1965, scoring 17,783 points during that time. He would also have five seasons with the Lakers and four seasons with the Sixers in which he scored 5,985 and 7,651 points respectively. Ironically, he would win championships with the Lakers and 76ers but not the team that drafted him.

Vince Carter was drafted by the Warriors with the fifth pick in the 1998 NBA Draft and traded on draft night to the Raptors in exchange for Antawn Jamison. Carter would play for eight teams in his 22-year career, scoring 25,728 points in total. Most of those points came in Toronto where he spent seven seasons and totaled 9,420 points. Robert Parish was a member of the Warriors from 1977 through 1980 after being their eighth pick in the 1976 draft. In four seasons with the Warriors, he scored 4,249 points. Most of Parish’s damage came with the Celtics where he spent 14 seasons and scored 18,245 points, winning three NBA titles.

Rounding out the final two players who scored over 20,000 points after being drafted by the Warriors are Stephen Curry and Mitch Richmond. Curry fell into the Warriors’ lap in the 2009 NBA Draft and has skyrocketed up the NBA’s scoring list as the league’s three-point king with 23,031 points with four NBA titles, two MVP awards, and a Finals MVP award as well. Mitch Richmond was drafted as part of the famed RUN TMC trio in Golden State. Richmond stayed just three seasons with the Warriors with 5,301 points scored in that time. In the next seven seasons, he would record 12,070 points with the Kings, becoming a six-time All-Star in the process.

T2. Boston Celtics – 4 20,000-Point Scorers

1. Paul Pierce – 26,397 Points

2. John Havlicek – 26,395 Points

3. Larry Bird – 21,791 Points

4. Joe Johnson – 20,407 Points

The Boston Celtics are one of just three teams in NBA history to draft at least four players who went on to score at least 20,000 career points. We start things off with the team’s second-highest leading scorer, Paul Pierce who played 15 seasons with them from 1999-2013. In those 15 seasons, he scored 24,021 points or 21.8 points per game. John Havlicek is Boston’s all-time leading scorer, playing his entire career with the team after being drafted ninth overall in 1962. With eight NBA titles under his belt, Havlicek retired with 26,395 points in a Celtics uniform.

Larry Bird is another Celtics lifer to make this list, totaling 21,791 points in 13 seasons from 1980 through 1992. In his time with the Celtics, Bird would become a three-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, and three-time MVP and ranks third in team history in scoring. The final 20,000-point scorer ever drafted by Boston would be Joe Johnson who they selected 10th overall in 2001. In just two seasons in Boston, Johnson scored 306 of his 20,407 points. Most of his offensive damage would come in other cities, namely Atlanta where he spent seven seasons and scored 10,606 total points, and Brooklyn where he went for 4,240 points in four years.

T2. Oklahoma City Thunder – 4 20,000-Point Scorers

1. Kevin Durant – 28,192 Points

2. James Harden – 25,488 Points

3. Russell Westbrook – 25,035 Points

4. Gary Payton – 21,813 Points

The Oklahoma City Thunder/Seattle SuperSonics are the other team that has been lucky enough to land four 20,000-point scorers in the NBA Draft. Of course, leading the way is Kevin Durant who recently entered the NBA’s top 10 in scoring. In nine seasons with the Thunder to begin his career, Durant won an MVP and four scoring titles, recording 17,566 total points. He has also had stops in Golden State, Phoenix, and Brooklyn where he has amassed 10,626 points in six-plus seasons.

James Harden and Russell Westbrook round out the top three scorers for Thunder draftees, and all three shared the court at one point. Harden played just three seasons with the team from 2010 through 2012, recording 2,795 points. He would do most of his damage with the Rockets where he won three scoring titles and an MVP with 18,365 total points in nine seasons. Westbrook, on the other hand, is the Thunder’s all-time leading scorer with 18,859 points which he tallied in 11 seasons from 2009-2019.

The final 20,000-point scorer in Thunder/SuperSonics history is The Glove Gary Payton. Payton was selected second overall in 1990 by Seattle where he would spend the first 13 seasons of his career. In those 13 years, he recorded 18,207 points in total. In four other seasons with the Celtics, Bucks, Lakers, and Heat, he would have 3,606 points combined.

T4. Milwaukee Bucks – 3 20,000-Point Scorers

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 38,387 Points

2. Dirk Nowitzki 31,560 Points

3. Alex English – 25,613 Points

As far as scorers go, the Milwaukee Bucks join the Thunder as the only teams to draft three or more 25,000-point scorers in franchise history. For the Bucks, it brings up sore memories of the past. It started with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1969 as the first overall pick. He would split his career with the Bucks and Lakers through 1989, totaling a 39-year-old NBA record of 38,387 points until it was broken in 2023. Kareem would have 14,211 points in six years with the Bucks and 24,176 in 14 years with the Lakers, winning six NBA titles, two Finals MVPs, and Six MVPs.

Dirk Nowitzki and Alex English were two 20,000-point scorers the Bucks gave up on far too early. The Bucks drafted Nowitzki ninth overall in 1998 but traded him to Dallas for Robert Traylor on draft night. Nowitzki would go on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Mavericks, scoring the sixth-most points in NBA history with 31,560.

As for English, the Bucks traded him to Indiana after two seasons and 1,100 of his 25,613 career points. English’s most dominant scoring stretch would come with the Denver Nuggets from 1980 through 1990 where he scored 21,645 points, won a scoring title, and became an eight-time NBA All-Star.

T4. Philadelphia 76ers – 3 20,000-Point Scorers

1. Allen Iverson – 24,368 Points

2. Charles Barkley – 23,757 Points

3. Hal Greer – 21,586 Points

The final team with at least three 20,000-point scorers as draftees is the Philadelphia 76ers. Allen Iverson, a Philadelphia icon, tops the list with 24,368 points as their No. 1 pick in 1996. Iverson spent the first 12 seasons of his career with Philadelphia, amassing 19,931 points. In stops in Denver, Detroit, and Memphis in his final four seasons, he scored 4,437 points combined.

Charles Barkley sits just behind Iverson on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 23,757 points. Most of those points came in his first eight seasons with the 76ers from 1985 through 1992 with 14,184. In eight more seasons with Houston and Phoenix, he totaled 9,573 points. Hal Greer spent his entire 15-year career with Philadelphia from 1959 through 1973. Other than his NBA championship in 1967, Greer scored 21,586 points with the Sixers, earning 10 All-Star and seven All-NBA Team selections as well.

T6. Atlanta Hawks – 2 20,000-Point Scorers

1. Dominique Wilkins – 26,668 Points

2. Pau Gasol – 20,894 Points

The Atlanta Hawks have a peculiar situation when it comes to the two 20,000-point scorers they drafted in franchise history. The first of these players is arguably the greatest player in Hawks history, Dominique Wilkins, who spent 12 seasons with the team and scored 23,392 of his 26,668 career points there as well. Wilkins added over 1,000 points in one-year stints with the Celtics and Spurs as well.

The other player who fits this criteria is Pau Gasol who the Hawks drafted third overall in 2001 but traded to the Hawks that night for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Jamaal Tinsley. Gasol would go on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Grizzlies, Lakers, Bulls, Spurs, and Bucks. He recorded 8,968 points in seven seasons with the Grizzlies and 7,610 points in seven seasons with the Lakers.

T6. Chicago Bulls – 2 20,000-Point Scorers

1. Michael Jordan – 32,292 Points

2. LaMarcus Aldridge – 20,558 Points

The Chicago Bulls are one of eight teams to have drafted two 20,000-point scorers in their history. The greatest scorer in NBA history, Michael Jordan, is one of them. With 10 NBA scoring titles, six NBA championships, six Finals MVPs, and a career 30.1 points per game average. Jordan is considered by most to be the GOAT. In 13 seasons with the Bulls, Jordan scored 29,277 points. He would go on to add 3,015 points in two years with the Wizards in 2002 and 2003.

The only other player to score 20,000 points after being drafted by the Bulls is LaMarcus Aldridge. Unfortunately, Aldridge never played a game for the Bulls, being traded for Tyrus Thomas on draft night. Instead, Aldridge would score 12,562 points in nine years with Portland, 7,325 points in six years in San Antonio, and 671 points in two years with Brooklyn.

T6. Houston Rockets – 2 20,000-Point Scorers

1. Elvin Hayes – 27,313 Points

2. Hakeem Olajuwon – 26,946 Points

The two Houston Rockets draftees to surpass 20,000 points in their careers sit right next to each other on the NBA’s all-time scoring list in 12th and 13th place. Elvin Hayes was drafted first overall by the Rockets in 1968 and in seven total seasons with the team, scored 11,762 points with a scoring title in his rookie season. Hayes would go on to play nine seasons with the Bullets, scoring 15,551 points and becoming an NBA champion in 1978.

Hakeem Olajuwon was the Rockets’ first overall pick in 1984 and would devote most of his career to the franchise from 1985-2001. In those 17 seasons, he would lead the franchise to its only two NBA championships and become the greatest defender in modern NBA history. Olajuwon scored a total of 26,511 points in his Rockets career and added 435 more in his final season with the Raptors in 2002.

T6. Los Angeles Clippers – 2 20,000-Point Scorers

1. Adrian Dantley – 23,177 Points

2. Tom Chambers – 20,049 Points

The Los Angeles Clippers join the long list of teams to draft 20,000-point scorers with Adrian Dantley in 1976 and Tom Chambers in 1981. Dantley played just one season with the Buffalo Braves before being traded in 1977. His best scoring stretch would come with the Utah Jazz from 1980 to 1986 when he scored 13,635 points with two scoring titles and six All-Star selections.

Tom Chambers stuck around for just one season longer than Dantley with the organization which was now known as the San Diego Clippers. In those two seasons, Chambers would total 2,783 points of his 20,049 career tally. Chambers’ best stretches of his career came in five seasons with the SuperSonics from 1984-1988 with 8,028 points and five seasons with the Suns from 1989-1993 with 7,817 points.

T6. Los Angeles Lakers – 2 20,000-Point Scorers

1. Jerry West – 25,192 Points

2. Elgin Baylor – 23,149 Points

As historic of an NBA franchise as it is, the Los Angeles Lakers also have only found two 20,000-point scorers by way of the NBA draft. Both Jerry West and Elgin Baylor spent their entire 14-year NBA careers with the Lakers, and both scored over 20,000 points for the franchise. West leads the way with 25,192 points in 14 seasons while Baylor fell just shy of him with 23,149.

Only West was ever able to lead the Lakers to an NBA championship but both carved out careers worthy of being two of the greatest draft selections in the history of the Lakers franchise.

T6. Minnesota Timberwolves – 2 20,000-Point Scorers

1. Kevin Garnett – 26,071 Points

2. Ray Allen – 24,505 Points

The Minnesota Timberwolves also get credit for drafting two 20,000-point scorers despite their long history of mistakes in that department. The first of these draft choices is their franchise’s greatest player, Kevin Garnett, who played a total of 14 seasons in Minnesota from 1996-2007 and again in 2015 and 2016. During this time, Garnett was an MVP and rose to the top of the Timberwolves’ record books with 19,201 points. Garnett would go on to play six seasons in Boston as well, where he became an NBA champion and added 6,233 more points to his total.

As for Ray Allen, he was drafted by Minnesota fifth overall in 1996 but quickly traded to Milwaukee for Stephon Marbury. Over the next 18 seasons, Allen became one of the best three-point shooters and shooting guards in NBA history, totaling 24,505 points in his career. He won two NBA championships and topped 5,000 points with three different NBA franchises including the Bucks, Celtics, and SuperSonics.

T6. Portland Trail Blazers – 2 20,000 Point Scorers

1. Clyde Drexler – 22,195 Points

2. Damian Lillard – 20,574 Points

Two of the greatest players in Portland Trail Blazers history represent the only draftees to reach 20,000 points in their careers. Damian Lillard and Clyde Drexler represent Portland well with Drexler’s 22,195 career points still leading Lillard’s 20,548. Lillard has more time to add to his total while Drexler went on to add 4,155 points in his career post-Portland.

Drexler and Lillard are the only two players to score at least 18,000 points in Portland Trail Blazers history with Lillard holding the top spot at 19,376 points. Lillard will look to pass Drexler in the coming seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and hold yet another Portland record over his head.

T6. San Antonio Spurs – 2 20,000-Point Scorers

1. Tim Duncan – 26,496 Points

2. David Robinson – 20,790 Points

Tim Duncan and David Robinson remain the two greatest players in San Antonio Spurs history to this day. They are the only 20,000-point scorers in the franchise’s NBA history and helped deliver championships on the court together in 1999 and 2003. Duncan gave 19 seasons to the franchise, scoring 26,496 points to go with five NBA titles, three Finals MVP awards, two MVP awards, and one of the greatest careers in NBA history.

After the Spurs drafted him first overall in 1987, Robinson would go on to play 14 seasons for the Spurs, recording 20,790 points to go with two NBA championships, an MVP award, and a Defensive Player of the Year award.

T6. Toronto Raptors – 2 20,000-Point Scorers

1. DeMar DeRozan – 22,834 Points

2. Antawn Jamison – 20,042 Points

Believe it or not, the Toronto Raptors have drafted two 20,000-point scorers as well, with two entirely different career paths. DeMar DeRozan has scored 22,776 points in his career, 13,296 of which came in his first nine seasons with Toronto from 2010-2018. He would go on to record 4,455 points in three years with the Spurs and has added 5,083 points in 199 games with the Bulls since 2022.

Antawn Jamison is a Raptors draftee who never spent a minute on the court in their uniform. Jamison reached 20,042 career points in 16 seasons with the Warriors, Mavericks, Wizards, Cavaliers, Lakers, and Clippers. His best stop was in Washington from 2005-2010 where he scored 8,736 points followed by his five seasons with Golden State with 6,775 points.

T15. Charlotte Hornets – 1 20,000-Point Scorer

1. Kobe Bryant – 33,643 Points

By now, every NBA fan knows the painful story of Kobe Bryant being drafted by the Charlotte Hornets 13th overall in 1996. Two weeks later, a trade was finalized to send him to the Los Angeles Lakers where he would go on to become the greatest player in franchise history. In 20 years with the team, Bryant reached fourth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 33,643 points. More importantly, he became a five-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, and an MVP while being considered one of the greatest players to ever grace the court.

T15. Cleveland Cavaliers – 1 20,000-Point Scorer

1. LeBron James – 39,843 Points

Only one NBA franchise can claim they drafted the leading scorer in NBA history and that is the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2003, the Cavaliers made arguably the greatest pick in NBA history when they drafted LeBron James first overall out of high school. In his career, James has become arguably the best player to ever step foot in the NBA while taking over the record books. In 11 total seasons in Cleveland, James recorded 23,119 points as well as 7,919 points in Miami and 8,805 points in Los Angeles with the Lakers.

The amazing part is that James is still going strong at 39 years old and will likely become the first player in NBA history with 40,000 points by the end of the 2023-24 season.

T15. Denver Nuggets – 1 20,000-Point Scorer

1. Carmelo Anthony – 28,289 Points

Back in 2003, the Denver Nuggets selected one of the most talented scorers in NBA history, Carmelo Anthony. For the first eight seasons of his career in Denver, Anthony thrived with 13,970 points. He then went on to have a solid seven-year run with the Knicks where he scored 10,186 points and won a scoring title. In his final five seasons, Anthony tallied 4,133 more points with the Thunder, Trail Blazers, Rockets, and Lakers.

T15. Indiana Pacers – 1 20,000-Point Scorer

1. Reggie Miller – 25,279 Points

After joining the NBA in 1976 after the merger, the Indiana Pacers have only hit on one 20,000-point scorer in the NBA Draft. Of course, that is their franchise’s leading scorer, Reggie Miller who is one of the great three-point shooters in history and an Indiana legend. Miller played 18 seasons with the Pacers from 1988 through 2005, scoring 25,279 career points with 2,560 career three-pointers made, earning five All-Star and three All-NBA Team selections.

T15. Miami Heat – 1 20,000-Point Scorer

1. Dwyane Wade – 23,165 Points

While Miami has been home to many NBA legends already on this list, only one has come their way via the NBA Draft. As their fifth overall pick in 2003, Dwyane Wade went on to become the most iconic player in franchise history. In 15 seasons with the team, Wade scored 21,556 points en route to three NBA championships. Wade also spent two seasons away from Miami in Chicago and Cleveland where he recorded 1,609 points combined.

T15. New Orleans Pelicans – 1 20,000-Point Scorer

1. Chris Paul – 22,041 Points

As it stands, point guard Chris Paul is the only player drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans to reach 20,000 career points. Paul began his career with the Pelicans, playing six seasons with the team and recording 7,936 points. He also recorded 7,674 points in six seasons with the Clippers and over 1,200 points in separate stints with the Suns, Thunder, and Rockets.

Current Lakers big man Anthony Davis will likely join Paul as another Pelicans draftee to reach 20,000 points shortly. Davis needs just 2,974 points to reach that mark.

T15. New York Knicks – 1 20,000-Point Scorer

1. Patrick Ewing – 24,815 Points

Patrick Ewing holds the distinct honor of being the only player drafted by the New York Knicks to reach 20,000 points in his career. Ewing was selected first overall by the Knicks in 1985 and would spend the next 15 seasons devoted to the franchise. In that time, he would record 23,665 total points with 11 All-Star selections and seven All-NBA team selections to his name. In the final two seasons of his career with the Magic and SuperSonics, he would add a total of 1,150 points.

T15. Orlando Magic – 1 20,000-Point Scorer

1. Shaquille O’Neal – 28,596 Points

In 1992, the Orlando Magic made their greatest draft selection when they chose Shaquille O’Neal out of LSU with the first pick. Over the next four seasons, O’Neal burst onto the scene with 8,019 total points and the franchise’s first trip to the NBA Finals. When he left Orlando for the Lakers in 1996, his game reached a new level. He scored 12,895 points in the next eight seasons with three NBA titles and three Finals MVP awards. He would also add 4,010 more points and another championship in Miami as well as 2,310 points with the Celtics, Suns, and Cavaliers in the twilight of his career from 2009-2011.

T15. Phoenix Suns – 1 20,000-Point Scorer

1. George Gervin – 20,708 Points

The presence of George Gervin here for the Phoenix Suns is a technicality of epic proportions. Gervin was Phoenix’s 40th overall pick in 1973 but chose to go to the ABA instead. When the ABA and NBA merged in 1976, and the Spurs came along to the NBA, Gervin stayed in San Antonio. In nine NBA seasons with the Spurs, Gervin recorded 19,383 points with four scoring titles. In his final season with the Bulls in 1986, he added 1,325 points to get past the 20,000-point mark in his NBA career.

T15. Sacramento Kings – 1 20,000-Point Scorer

1. Oscar Robertson – 26,710 Points

When the Kings made Oscar Robertson their first overall pick in 1960, little did they know that he would be their only 20,000-point scorer 64 years later. Robertson dominated the NBA from the point guard position in the 1960s, recording 22,009 total points in 10 seasons with the Cincinnati Royals. Robertson would go on to play four more seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks where he recorded 4,701 points and won an NBA title in 1971.

T15. Utah Jazz – 1 20,000-Point Scorer

1. Karl Malone – 36,928 Points

The Utah Jazz may have selected just one 20,000-point scorer in franchise history but what a selection it turned out to be. That is because that draft selection was Karl Malone in 1985 who went on to become the NBA’s third-leading scorer ever with 36,928 points. Malone spent 18 of his 19 NBA seasons with the Utah Jazz, scoring 36,374 points, winning two MVP awards, and making two NBA finals appearances. He also added 554 points in one final season with the Lakers in 2004.

T15. Washington Wizards – 1 20,000-Point Scorer

1. Walt Bellamy – 20,941 Points

The Washington Wizards are the last of 26 teams to have at least one 20,000-point scorer drafted by their organization. This selection dates back to 1961 and their first overall pick of Walt Bellamy when they were still known as the Chicago Packers. Bellamy played five seasons for the Wizards franchise, recording 9,020 points in that time. He also recorded 5,000 or more points in stints with the Hawks and Knicks while recording 1,554 points with the Pistons as well.

T27. Dallas Mavericks – 0 20,000-Point Scorers

Closest Players To 20,000 Points:

1. Dale Ellis – 19,004 Points

2. Mark Aguirre – 18,458 Points

3. Rolando Blackman – 17,623 Points

The Dallas Mavericks are one of four teams in NBA history to have never drafted a 20,000-point scorer. They drafted former Fadeaway World guest Dale Ellis who scored 19,004 points in his career as well as Mark Aguirre, Rolando Blackman, and Jason Kidd who scored over 17,000 points in their careers. Even current superstar Luka Doncic would not qualify for the Mavericks franchise as he was drafted by Atlanta before landing in Dallas via trade and he is well on his way to 20,000 career points.

T27. Detroit Pistons – 0 20,000-Point Scorers

Closest Players To 20,000 Points:

1. Bob Lanier – 19,248 Points

2. Isiah Thomas – 18,822 Points

3. Dave Bing – 18,327 Points

The Detroit Pistons have also been shut out of the conversation for draft picks to reach 20,000 points. Bob Lanier came the closest with 19,248 career points while Isiah Thomas and Dave Big each recorded over 18,000 points in their careers. Former Pistons greats Bailey Howell and Grant Hill also put up a valiant effort with over 17,000 points in their illustrious NBA careers.

T27. Brooklyn Nets – 0 20,000-Point Scorers

Closest Players To 20,000 Points:

1. Bernard King – 19,655 Points

2. Buck Williams – 16,784 Points

3. Brook Lopez – 16,123 Points

The Brooklyn Nets were the closest to getting off this list thanks to Bernard King’s 19,655 points in his career but fell just short and became one of the bottom four. Nets draft picks Brookl Lopez and Buck Williams also came close with over 16,000 points in their NBA careers. Lopez is still active today with the Milwaukee Bucks but is likely to fall short of reaching King let alone 20,000 points. No other draft picks in Nets history have even scored 13,000 points in their careers.

T27. Memphis Grizzlies – 0 20,000-Point Scorers

1. Kyle Lowry – 16,034 Points

2. Mike Conley – 15,524 Points

3. Kevin Love – 15,183 Points

The final team on our list of franchises who have never drafted a 20,000-point scorer is the Memphis Grizzlies. In their 29-year history, Memphis has selected just four players who have even reached 15,000 career points. Kyle Lowry has recorded 16,034 points and while he remains active, is unlikely to reach 20,000 points in his career. The same can be said for Mike Conley and Kevin Love who are both active as well but are over 4,400 points shy of 20,000 and at the end of their careers.