Basketball Milestones

Here’s the oldest NBA players to score 40, 50, 60 points (or more) in a game

Don’t get it twisted, old NBA players are still supremely talented. Even when they’re past their prime, don’t think you’d start dominating them at your local YMCA. Even a recently-retired NBA player could easily score 50 points on you without breaking too much of a sweat.

That got us thinking about who were the oldest NBA players ever score 40/50/60 points in a game.

Scoring 40, 50 or 60 points in a single NBA game isn’t easy and it gets significantly tougher as players get into their early to mid to late 30s; when they’re considered way past their prime age. Although difficult to score as prolifically as they were in their twenties, players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Wilt Chamberlain have surpassed 40, 50 or 60 points on several occasions and we’re sure that today’s stars such as LeBron James or Kevin Durant will add their names to the list. With these born-to-score players, winning at spread betting is certainly easier.

Related: The Highest NBA Scoring Averages After the Age of 35

The Oldest NBA Players to Score 40 Points

Scoring 40 points in a game has become pretty common in the NBA, but not so common for players of a certain age.  Still there are many “older” players, well into their thirties, that have have managed to record 40 points in an NBA game. That list includes the best basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan, who has managed to break the 40-point barrier on several occasions at ages 38, 39 and even 40. In fact, the GOAT was so good at age 40, he was the best player on the Washington Wizards at the time and constantly stuffed the scoresheet.

Oldest NBA Player to Score 40 Points
Age Player Points Team
38 LeBron James 47 Los Angeles Lakers
38 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 43 Los Angeles Lakers
37 LeBron James 43 Los Angeles Lakers
38 LeBron James 40 Los Angeles Lakers
37 Dirk Nowitzki 40 Dallas Mavericks
36 Shaquille O'Neal 45 Phoenix Suns

Besides Jordan, Kobe Bryant scored 44 at age 35, while the great Dirk Nowitzki scored 40 points at a 37 years young. The unreal LeBron James scored 47 points on his 38th birthday and the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once poured in 43 points at age 38. The list wouldn’t be complete without Shaquille O’Neal who scored 45 points at age 36 and a 37-year old LeBron James putting up 43 points. When it comes to superstars, it shows that these elite players are still very capable even at an advanced age.

The Oldest NBA Players to Score 50 or More Points

Understandably, the list of oldest NBA players dropping fifty is considerably shorter than the previous one. Karl Malone scored 56 points at age 34. Previously, Bernard King managed to score 50 at the same age as Malone. The great Alex English scored 51 at age 35, while the incredible Kobe Bryant shocked the basketball world by scoring an amazing 60 points at age 37 (and 234 days) in his final game in 2016.

We’ll order the list in terms of the most-impressive performances.

Oldest NBA Player to Score 50+ Points
Points Player Age Playing For Date
51 pts Jamal Crawford 39 yo Phoenix Suns 04/09/2019
51 pts Michael Jordan 38 yo Washington Wizards 12/29/2001
54 pts LeBron James 37 yo Golden State Warriors 03/05/2022
56 pts Karl Malone 34 yo Utah Jazz 04/07/1998
51 pts LeBron James 34 yo Los Angeles Lakers 11/18/2018
51 pts Alex English 35 yo Denver Nuggets 03/10/1989

The oldest player to drop at least 50 in a game was Michael Jordan when he scored 51 points at the age 38, but that point total was matched by Jamal Crawford, but the lanky scoring guard outdid Jordan in that he accomplished 51 points at he age of 39 years old.

The Oldest NBA Players to Score 60+ Points

This is where things get interesting. Now, you might think that dropping 60 in a game over the age of 30 or 35 is impossible, but it has been done more than once. Kobe’s final NBA game allowed him to go “full Kobe” and shoot every time down the court. At the end of the game, Bryant scored 60 against the Utah Jazz in 2016 at age 37. He broke the 60-point barrier before as well, scoring 61 at the age of 30.

Oldest NBA Players with 60+ Points in a game
Points Player Age Playing For Date
68 pts Wilt Chamberlain 31 yo Philadelphia 76ers 12/16/1967
66 pts Wilt Chamberlain 32 yo Los Angeles Lakers 02/09/1969
62pts Steph Curry 32 yo Golden State Warriors 01/03/2021
60 pts Wilt Chamberlain 32 yo Los Angeles Lakers 01/26/1969
60 pts Kobe Bryant 37 yo Los Angeles Lakers 04/13/2016
60 pts Tom Chambers 30 yo Phoenix Suns 03/24/1990

Wilt Chamberlain, also known as the only player to score a whopping 100 points in a game (along with 25 rebounds), broke the barrier of 60 points 3 times, at age 31 and 32. Tom Chambers was a few months away from turning 31 when he scored 60 for the Phoenix Suns, putting his name in great company.

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