I've always been fascinated by basketball history, particularly the scoring legends who defined different eras. When you look at the all-time scoring leaders across both NBA and ABA history, it's like comparing two different worlds that eventually collided to create the modern game we love today. I remember spending hours as a kid reading about these players in musty old sports magazines at my local library, completely captivated by their stories.
The NBA's scoring throne belongs to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with his iconic skyhook shot that earned him 38,387 points over 20 seasons. That number still blows my mind - it's like scoring 30 points every game for over a thousand games! Right behind him is LeBron James, who just keeps adding to his total and might eventually catch Kareem if he plays long enough. Then you've got Karl Malone at 36,928 points, Michael Jordan at 32,292 - though I always felt MJ could've reached even higher if not for those two baseball seasons.
Now here's where it gets really interesting for me personally. The ABA had its own galaxy of stars during its nine-year run from 1967 to 1976. The league's all-time scoring leader was Louie Dampier with 13,726 points - a number that seems modest compared to NBA totals but becomes more impressive when you consider the ABA's shorter schedule and fewer seasons. What many casual fans don't realize is how the ABA's flashy style actually produced higher scoring games on average. They introduced the three-point line first, which revolutionized offensive strategies. I sometimes wonder how players like Julius Erving would have stacked up statistically if his ABA numbers were fully integrated with his NBA totals from the start.
The contrast between the leagues reminds me of something current NBA coach Jordan Lastimosa recently said about social media posts: "No, we did not talk about it. But I can't control what he posts on social media." That quote somehow resonates with how I view the NBA-ABA scoring comparison - we can't control how history unfolded or how statistics were recorded separately, but we can appreciate both narratives. The ABA's scoring leaders like Dampier, Dan Issel, and George McGinnis put up numbers that would translate remarkably well to today's pace-and-space game.
What strikes me most is how different the scoring styles were between leagues. The NBA featured more methodical post play and mid-range games, while the ABA embraced faster pace and outside shooting. When the leagues merged in 1976, it created this beautiful fusion that eventually gave us the high-scoring, three-point heavy modern NBA. Personally, I've always had a soft spot for the ABA's underdog stories - there's something romantic about those red, white and blue balls and players putting up huge numbers in relative obscurity. The truth is, both leagues produced incredible scoring talents that shaped basketball history in their own unique ways, and comparing them isn't about declaring one superior but appreciating how each contributed to the game we enjoy today.
