When I think of the player who takes the most shots in a game, I think of one of two players, he’s a superstar like Michael Jordan, Luka Doncic, or Kevin Durant or he’s a known chucker in the mold of early J.R. Smith, Pete Maravich, Jordan Clarkson or Michael Porter Jr – players where the ball movement not only stops but the shot goes up.

Then there’s players like Kobe Bryant, Pete Maravich, Russell Westbrook, Rick Barry, and James Harden  – players that are both considered NBA legends and bona fide ball hogs. As far as the NBA players that hold the record for the field goals attempted in one game, you’ll notice one thing. Many of the players on the list are in the Hall of Fame (or headed there). 

The NBA Players with Most FGA on One Game

Before I researched the list, I would have bet heavily that Michael Jordan held the record for the most FGAs. I was close. Kobe took the most field goal attempts in a game on April 13th, 2016. He shot 50 times. MJ is second with 49 attempts on January 16th, 1993. 

A 35 year old Jordan should know a little bit about shot selection, so it’s meaningful when he comments on Kobe at the 1998 All-Star Game. We’ll get more into that in a minute. There has been a big increase in betting on shots in the NBA across the US, but also across in Canada, Alberta sports betting sites have also seen a surge in activity.

So, you can’t quite get the list to 10 with all of the ties, so you’ll note that we’re slightly above that on the all time FGA listing. 

We included Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game when he shot the ball 63 times, but it’s not official as the league wasn’t recording field goal attempts in 1962. It’ll be another two decades before the NBA started to track efficiency.

Since the NBA started tracking field goal attempts at the start of the 1983-84 season, Kobe Bryant holds the record for the most shots taken in a single NBA game, It’s not surprising. Kobe is known for his relentless scoring drive and work ethic, Kobe’s tenacity (and selfishness) on the court led him to take daring, often difficult, shots. Bryant has been both revered and derided for that.

On April 13, 2016, Kobe Bryant capped off his NBA career by scoring 60 points, shooting 22 out of 50 in his final game, leading the Lakers to a 101-96 victory over the Jazz at the Staples Center. To fans of Kobe Bryant, this was another memorable performance that underlined his legendary status as he retired from professional basketball. On the other side of the coin, when you take 50 shots — the most ever on NBA record — of course you’re going to score a lot of points.

Which NBA Players Are The Biggest Ball Hogs? 

In our table, there are 25 times when a player shot 41 or more shots. Kobe Bryant owns nine of those times – which is nearly 40% of of the most shots ever taken in a single game. Of those nine KOBE games, only once did he make more than half of his shots and that was his famous 81 point game where he shot an impressive .609 from the field. The stats tell me that would definitively make Kobe Bryant the biggest ball hog in NBA history — at least since the 1983-84 season.

And Kobe has inspired others to take bad shots. Most recently, Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray delivered a 44-point performance against the Boston Celtics, clinching the game with a buzzer-beating shot in overtime for a 123-122 win. Murray’s scoring matched his number of field-goal attempts, as it took him 44 shots to achieve his total points, highlighting his crucial role in the game’s outcome. 

“I don’t want to take that many shots, but I know Kobe would be proud of me.”

Dejounte Murray after shooting 18-44 FG pic.twitter.com/q9Bglzb5zR

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 29, 2024

The most recent entry on the list is 76ers guard, Tyrese Maxey with 41 field goal attempts for the 76ers on April 7th, 2024. We’ll keep an eye out during the NBA Playoffs to see if anyone else makes the list.