We already know that Wilt Chamberlain holds the record for the highest-scoring game, with a 100-point performance. Notably, though, several players have come relatively close to that impressive mark.

Even in a scorer’s league, topping the 70-point plateau is something just a handful of NBA players have been able to accomplish throughout the years. Here, we let you know who they were.

All NBA Players With A 70-Point Game

Elgin Baylor

Elgin Baylor was Kevin Durant before Kevin Durant. Deemed one of the greatest and most dominant scorers to ever live, he recorded the first-ever 70-point game. This Los Angeles Lakers legendtorched the New York Knicks for 71 points and 25 rebounds on 58% from the floor in a 123-108 win.

Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain stands alone when it comes to the craziest records in NBA history. He broke Elgin Baylor’s mark with a 78-point performance, but he didn’t stop there. Besides that legendary 100-point game, Wilt the Stilt actually recorded a whopping six games of at least 70 points.

David Thompson

While often overlooked when talking about the most talented scorers this game has ever seen, David Thompson made history back in 1978. He became the youngest player to have a 70-point game at that time, scoring 73 on 74% from the floor as a 23-year-old. Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep the Detroit Pistons from beating his Denver Nuggets 139-137.

David Robinson

Tim Duncan is the greatest player in San Antonio Spurs’ history, but David Robinson is a close second. He was one of the most dominant two-way forces this game had ever seen, and he proved it with a 71-point explosion in 1994. Notably, this happened on the very last game of the season, and it helped him ‘steal’ the Scoring Title away from Shaquille O’Neal.

Kobe Bryant

Late legend Kobe Bryant is the only player that has actually come close to tying Wilt’s record. He humiliated the Toronto Raptors with an 81-game, one of the most memorable performances in sports history. The Los Angeles Lakers were a subpar team at the time, and Kobe— literally— needed to do everything to will his team to a win.

Devin Booker

Devin Booker introduced himself to the league back in 2017. He had already shown glimpses of greatness as a scorer, but the Phoenix Suns were a bottom-feeding team, and he didn’t get all that attention. He put the world on notice by putting up 70 against the Boston Celtics, albeit it came in a loss.

Donovan Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell had already shown that he could be an explosive scorer in the playoffs, but his finest performance came during a regular-season matchup. He scored 71 points against the Chicago Bulls, shooting nearly 64% from the floor and adding 11 assists during an overtime win.

Damian Lillard

And last but not least, we find Damian Lillard. Lillard destroyed the Houston Rockets for 71 points on over 50% from the floor, adding 13 three-pointers and becoming the oldest player to score 70+ points in a single game. Notably, he now ranks third in games with at least 60 points (5), trailing only Kobe Bryant (6), and Wilt Chamberlain (32).

Being lucky, staying healthy, having a team that puts themin a position to succeed, are just some of the few things that have prevented some of the greatest players to ever do it from winning a ring.

That’s why today, we’re going to honor their legacies and talk about the 10 greatest NBA players who have never won a championship, perhaps the only stain on their otherwise perfect résumés.

Honorable Mention: Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose, Chris Mullin, George Gervin, Reggie Miller, Damian Lillard, George Yardley, Dominique Wilkins, Bob Lanier, Sidney Moncrief.

The Best NBA Players Who Have Never Won A Ring

10. Russell Westbrook

Career Stats: 23.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 8.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 43.7% FG
Accolades: 9x All-Star, 2x Scoring Champion, 3x Assists Champion, 9x All-NBA, All-Rookie, 2x All-Star MVP, MVP

We take Russell Westbrook for granted and normalize him averaging a triple-double but there’s nothing normal about that. He’s one of the most athletic players in NBA history, a fearless competitor, and a guy that could take every single player in the league one-on-one.

His decision-making is erratic at times but he’s never shied away from taking a big shot or taking matters into his own hands. He decided to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to the playoffs even when Kevin Durant left, and hopefully, he’ll get a shot at winning a ring.

9. Patrick Ewing

Career Stats: 21.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, 2.4 BPG, 50.4% FG
Accolades: Hall of Famer, 11x All-Star, 7x All-NBA, 3x All-Defensive, All-Rookie, Rookie of the Year

Patrick Ewing is one of the countless victims of the toughest Eastern Conference in NBA history. The Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, and – of course – Chicago Bulls prevented him from going the distance.

The one time he managed to get to the NBA Finals, the New York Knicks just couldn’t do anything to beat Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets. Still, Ewing will go down as the greatest player in franchise history.

8. Elgin Baylor

Career Stats: 27.4 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 4.3 APG, 43.1% FG
Accolades: Hall of Famer, 11x All-Star, 10x All-NBA, All-Star MVP, Rookie of the Year

Elgin Baylor is the unluckiest player in NBA history. He dominated in the regular season in an era when the league was ruled by Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics, who won the ring in 11 out of 13 seasons.

The Los Angeles Lakers couldn’t win the ring during Baylor’s tenure with the team. Nonetheless, hewas forced to retire early in the season due to a knee injury, just to watch him win the championship that very same year. That’s some tough luck.

7. Steve Nash

Career Stats: 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, 1.4 3PG, 49.0% FG, 42.8% 3FG
Accolades: Hall of Famer, 8x All-Star, 5x Assists Champion, 7x All-NBA, 2x MVP

Steve Nash gets a lot of criticism for the MVP awards he won. Some people claim that his numbers were underwhelming and those awards should’ve been won by Shaquille O’Neal. Well, either those people don’t know about basketball or they didn’t watch him play.

Steve Nash was by far the best player in the most exciting team in the Association during that time. He was efficient (even joined the 50/40/90 club) and changed the way an offense was orchestratedback then. He was just incredibly talented and impactful.

6. Charles Barkley

Career Stats: 22.1 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, 54.1% FG
Accolades: Hall of Famer, 11x All-Star, Rebounds Champion, 11x All-NBA, All-Rookie, All-Star MVP, MVP

Charles Barkley only made a couple of mistakes during his career: Winning an MVP, and making it to the NBA Finals. There, he faced an inspired Michael Jordan that was eager to prove that he was snubbed from the award.

Barkley’s Phoenix Suns lost in 6 games to Jordan’s Bulls and even though he continued to dominate at will despite being an undersized big man, he never got another chance to win the ultimate prize.

5. Karl Malone

Career Stats: 25.0 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 51.6% FG
Accolades: Hall of Famer, 14x All-Star, 14x All-NBA, 4x All-Defensive, All-Rookie, 2x All-Star MVP, 2x MVP

Karl Malone is yet another victim of Michael Jordan. He’s one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, a dominant two-way force that was going to get whatever he wanted in the paint and that could make grown men look like high schoolers.

The Mailman always delivered. Except when he had to cross paths with Jordan’s Bulls in the NBA Finals. The Utah Jazz lost at that stage in back-to-back seasons and Malone tried – unsuccessfully – to win a ring with the Lakers before retiring.

4. James Harden

Career Stats: 25.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1.6 SPG, 2.8 3PG, 44.4% FG
Accolades: 9x All-Star, 3x Scoring Champion, Assists Champion, 7x All-NBA, All-Rookie, MVP, Sixth Man of The Year

James Harden went from being the Sixth Man of the Year to an MVP and Scoring Champion in little-to-no time. He broke out as the most unstoppable scorer in the league with the Houston Rockets and is now looking to win his first ring.

Harden has had some tough luck in the postseason, either with subpar performances or injuries. He made it to the NBA Finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder but their lack of experience cost them the ring.

3. John Stockton

Career Stats: 13.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 10.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, 51.5% FG
Accolades: Hall of Famer, 10x All-Star, 9x Assists Champion, 2x Steals Champion, 11x All-NBA, 5x All-Defensive, All-Star MVP

John Stockton is considered by some as the greatest pure point guard of all time. He holds the records for most total assists and steals in NBA history and those will stand for a very, very long time.

Stockton was as smart and crafty as he was durable. He rarely missed a game and was the true definition of efficiency. As you may know by now, Michael Jordan kept him from winning a ring in back-to-back seasons.

2. Allen Iverson

Career Stats: 26.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.2 APG, 2.2 SPG, 42.5% FG
Accolades: Hall of Famer, 11x All-Star, 4x Scoring Champion, 3x Steals Champion, 7x All-NBA, All-Rookie, 2x All-Star MVP, MVP, Rookie of the Year

Allen Iverson is perhaps the most talented player to never win a ring. People called him out for his work ethic but you could never say that he didn’t put in the work every single night out there.

Iverson was an offensive juggernaut that single-handedly led his Philadelphia 76ers to the playoffs. But the only time he carried them to the NBA Finals, he had to face Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and the Los Angeles Lakers.

1. Chris Paul

Career Stats: 18.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 9.4 APG, 2.1 SPG, 1.4 3PG, 47.2% FG
Accolades: 11x All-Star, 4x Assists Champion, 6x Steals Champion, 10x All-NBA, 9x All-Defensive, All-Rookie, All-Star MVP, Rookie of the Year

Chris Paul had never made it to the Conference Finals until he joined the Phoenix Suns. He always got hurt, his team blew a lead, or he just had some bad luck. Also, David Stern vetoed his trade to join Kobe and the Lakers.

Even so, Paul is a sure candidate to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He’s been the best point guard in the NBA since he entered the league and his basketball IQ is one of the highest of all time. He’s the last true point guard.

He was also one of the unluckiest players ever, as he had to coexist with Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics and could never win an NBA Championship. In fact, the Lakers won the ring the very same season he was forced to retire with an injury.

That’s perhaps why younger fans don’t often talk about Baylor when addressing the all-time greats, even though he was a walking bucket, a dominant rebounder on both ends of the floor, and even a solid defender.

Kobe Bryant Once Said Elgin Baylor Was Like Dr. J & Michael Jordan

And if you were to ask Kobe Bryant about Elgin Baylor and the way he played the game, he’d say that he was a combination of Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving and Michael Jordan because of the way he could finish at the rim at will:

“Everything I heard about Elgin, everything I read about Elgin, was that he was Dr. J and Michael Jordan before Dr. J. & Michael Jordan. He gets to the basket and does all these incredible things. But I want to know how to get to the basket. It’s cool to be able to do all those fancy things, but how did you get there?… He had great footwork, very explosive first step and very strong. And we forget his size, how big he was and how strong he was. So once he did that shoulder and got by players, it was basically… at his mercy,” the Black Mamba said in an interview in 2010.

It’s been a tough couple of years for the Los Angeles Lakers as they’ve now lost two of their greatest players in franchise history. At least, we can be sure that they’re both hooping right now in a better place.