Highest-Scoring Shooting Guards: The shooting guard position has historically been held by some of the most gifted scorers the NBA has ever seen. According to many experts, the top five or top ten shooting guards in the history of the sport—as well as some of its most gifted scorers—were Kobe Bryant, James Harden, Michael Jordan, and Allen Iverson. The 10 highest-scoring shooting guards seasons in NBA history are listed here, just as we did with point guards a little over a week ago.
But unlike point guards, each of these ten seasons will feature 32.5 or more points each game. The seasons we’ll be discussing, including the highest-scoring shooting guards season in NBA history, are all owned by just one man. We will analyse the shooting metrics and performances that contributed to these historically significant outputs, as well as how each of these amazing players was able to attain such a high scoring season.
10 Highest-Scoring Shooting Guards in NBA History
Get ready for some thrilling action that once lit up NBA scoreboards for whole seasons. These are the top 10 highest-scoring shooting guards seasons in NBA history.
1. Michael Jordan – 37.1 PPG – 1986-87 Season
You guessed right. Michael Jordan’s amazing average of 37.1 points per game in the NBA’s 1986–87 season is the record-holder for the best scoring season by a shooting guard. With 37.1 points per game, Michael Jordan would have the fifth-best scoring season in NBA history and the highest season of any player who wasn’t Wilt Chamberlain. As he shot 48.2% from the field as a whole, 18.2% from three on 0.8 attempts, and 85.7% from the foul line, Jordan set a new record for points.
Jordan would start and play in each of the 82 games for the Chicago Bulls during this historic season. He has 67 games with 30 or more points, 37 games with 40 or more points, and 8 games with at least 50 points. He doubled up on his 61-point season best. Two times, once in a victory against the Pistons and once in a setback to the Hawks. Charles Oakley, Jordan’s second-best scorer that season with 14.5 points per game, helped the Bulls win 40 games and make the NBA playoffs.
The 1987 Boston Celtics were one of the greatest dynasties and teams in NBA history, and they faced the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs. Boston won the series 3-0 to advance. Jordan averaged 35.7 points per game on 41.7% shooting during the series, but he couldn’t compete with the combination of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish.
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2. James Harden – 36.1 PPG – 2018-19 Season
James Harden’s legendary scoring run from 2018 to 2020 was cut in half by his 36.1 points per game average during the 2018–19 season, which set a new career record. Harden won the scoring title for the second time in a straight after making 87.9% of his free throw attempts, 36.8% of his three-point tries, and 44.2% of his field goal attempts overall.
57 30-point games, 28 40-point games, and an amazing nine games with at least 50 points scored would all be recorded by Harden. In the 2018–19 season, Harden would score 61 points twice, each time in victories over the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks. Harden would also finish first in the NBA with 624 free throws and 265 made three-pointers.
The Rockets under Harden would win 53 games and make the NBA playoffs. Harden averaged 36.1 points per game over the course of two postseason games. The Golden State Warriors, who had just defeated Houston in six games, were on the verge of winning their third NBA championship in four seasons when the Houston Rockets ran into them after defeating the Utah Jazz in five games.
3. Kobe Bryant – 35.4 PPG – 2005-06 Season
The fact that Kobe Bean Bryant was playing in the 2005–06 NBA season, which we already discussed, was the sole reason Allen Iverson did not take home the scoring crown. Bryant won the first scoring championship of his career in the 2005–06 season, averaging 35.6 points per game on 45.0% shooting from the field, 34.7% from three, and 85.0% at the foul line.
Bryant would break the record for scoring at least 35.0 points per game in a season, becoming the first player to do it since Michael Jordan. He has six games with at least 50 points scored, 35 games with 40 points, and 56 games with 30 or more. His memorable 81-point performance at Staples Centre in front of his grandmother, who had travelled to see him play for the first time, would be his season high.
Bryant guided the Lakers to 45 victories and a trip to the NBA playoffs despite having a weak squad. In the first round against the Phoenix Suns, Bryant would put on another remarkable effort, but it was ultimately insufficient as Phoenix won the series in seven games. In the series, Bryant averaged 27.9 points per game on 49.7% of his shots.
4. Michael Jordan – 35.0 PPG – 1987-88 Season
One of the finest individual seasons by a player in NBA history would be the 1987–88 campaign. With 35.0 points per game, Jordan would win the NBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards. He also led the NBA in steals with 3.2 per game, winning his second consecutive scoring championship.
Jordan’s 1988 season had 59 30-point outings, 18 40-point games, and four 50-point games. In a win over the Detroit Pistons on the road, he set a season high with 59 points on 77.8% shooting. Jordan assisted the Bulls in capping off an incredible year by taking them to the NBA playoffs and 50 victories overall.
With a 3-2 series victory against the Cavaliers, Jordan would lead the Bulls to their first postseason triumph since his arrival in 1984–85. Chicago’s joy, however, would only last a few games as they would be completely destroyed by the Pistons in the next round in just five games. In those NBA playoffs, Jordan averaged 36.3 points per game on 53.1% shooting.
5. James Harden – 34.3 PPG – 2019-20 Season
One of the most remarkable streaks by a highest-scoring shooting guards in NBA history was James Harden’s record-breaking reign as scoring champion from 2018 to 2020. For the third consecutive year, James Harden led all scorers in the 2019–20 NBA season, averaging 34.3 points per game on 44.4% field goal, 35.5% three-point, and 86.5% free throw shooting. With 299 total made threes, Harden also led the NBA for the third straight season in that category.
He has five games with at least 50 points, five games with at least 40 points, and 44 games with 30 or more points in 2019–20. His best performance of the season came in a rout against the Hawks by 47 points. In the game, Harden finished with 60 points on 66.7% of his shots. The NBA season would be postponed due to the COVID-19 epidemic, and the Rockets would win 44 of their 72 games. The Los Angeles Lakers, the eventual NBA champions, defeated the Houston Rockets in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
6. Michael Jordan – 33.6 PPG – 1989-90 Season
Michael Jordan ranks third on this list thanks to his 33.6 points per game average in the 1989–90 campaign. Jordan played all 82 games for the Chicago Bulls, won the steals championship, and shot 52.6% from the field to compile this high-scoring campaign. He would go on to win the NBA scoring championship for the fourth time in a row, shoot a fantastic 37.6% from three, and hit 84.8% of his free throws.
Jordan had 51 30-point games, 22 40-point games, and three games with at least 50 points scored throughout this season. His dazzling 69-point performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which also included 18 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals, set a new season best for him. With 55 victories as a result, the Bulls qualified for the NBA playoffs.
Jordan would score 36.7 points per game on 51.4% field goal shooting in the NBA playoffs. He would take the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they would play the Detroit Pistons. Unfortunately, the Bad Boys would win that series in seven games, but it would be Jordan’s final NBA playoff loss to Detroit.
7. George Gervin – 33.1 PPG – 1979-80 Season
One of the most gifted scorers in NBA history, George “Iceman” Gervin is also one of the most underappreciated. After joining the San Antonio Spurs after playing for four seasons in the ABA, Gervin entered his fourth NBA season in 1979–1980. After the merger, Gervin stayed with the Spurs, and the 1979–80 season would mark the third consecutive year that he won the NBA scoring championship.
Gervin averaged 33.1 points per game during that season while shooting 85.2% from the free throw line, 31.4% from three, and 52.8% overall from the field. Throughout the season, he recorded 52 30-point games, 18 40-point games, and two games with at least 50 points. He would score 55 points on 65.6% shooting in a thrashing of the Indiana Pacers, tying his season best. The Spurs made the NBA playoffs after finishing the regular season with a 41-41 record.
A 2-1 series defeat to the Houston Rockets in the first round would put an end to their chances of winning the NBA title. In the series, Gervin scored 33.3 points on 50.0% of his shots from the field on average.
8. Allen Iverson – 33.0 PPG – 2005-06 Season
One of the greatest scorers in NBA history is Allen Iverson. You may debate his poor shooting ability all you want, but his four scoring championships at barely 6’0″ tall are plenty to establish his place in NBA history. Surprisingly, he did not win the scoring championship during any of the four seasons in which he averaged a career-high 33.0 points per game.
In the 2005–06 season, Iverson averaged 33.0 points per game while shooting 81.4% from the charity stripe and 44.7% from the field overall. Iverson scored 53 points in a defeat to the Atlanta Hawks on a season-high 54.8% shooting (17-31 from the field) throughout that season, in addition to 49 30-point games, 15 40-point games, and 15 40-point performances. Unfortunately, the 76ers struggled without Iverson and won just 38 games, missing the NBA postseason entirely. It would be Iverson’s final full season in Philadelphia before he was traded to the Denver Nuggets in the middle of the 2006–07 campaign.
9. Michael Jordan – 32.6 PPG – 1992-93 Season
A few years after his 1988–89 campaign, Jordan would top it in 1992–93 with 32.6 points per game. Michael Jordan won his seventh straight scoring title as a result of the scoring barrage, which is the most in NBA history since Wilt Chamberlain accomplished it in his first seven seasons in the league. Jordan would score 32.6 points per game on 49.5% field goal shooting, 35.2% three point shooting, and 83.7% free throw shooting.
Jordan had a historic run during the 1992–93 season, despite losing out on the MVP title to Charles Barkley. He has 46 games with 30 or more points, 14 games with 40 or more points, and four games with at least 50 points. His season-high performance of 64 points on 55.1% field goal shooting came in a defeat against the Orlando Magic. In order to get revenge for his MVP defeat to Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns, Jordan would lead the Bulls to 57 victories and finally a position in the NBA Finals.
Jordan continued to write NBA Finals history as he guided the Bulls to their third consecutive title, the league’s first three-peat since Bill Russell’s Celtics in the 1960s. He would score 41.0 points per game on average over the series while shooting 40.0% from three-point range and 50.8% from the field overall. Jordan won the NBA Finals MVP title for the third time in a row, and his average of 41.0 points per game during the series is still the NBA Finals record.
10. Michael Jordan – 32.5 PPG – 1988-89 Season
Michael Jordan played in the NBA for the sixth time during the 1988–89 season. He had just completed one of his best personal campaigns, earning the MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and NBA scoring championship in 1987–88. By averaging 32.5 points per game on 53.8% shooting and topping the NBA in minutes played per game (40.2), Jordan would win his third consecutive scoring title this season. He also had a 27.6% three-point percentage and an 85.0% rate from the foul line.
When it came to scoring the basketball in 1988–89, Jordan was still a virtuoso. He would score 50 games with 30 points, 15 with 40 points, and five with 50 points. In a defeat against the Phoenix Suns, he scored 53 points, tying his season best. Jordan’s remarkable scoring production helped the Bulls win 47 games, but they would lose to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. He would also score 34.8 points per game on 51.0% of his shots in the 1989 NBA playoffs.
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