The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most famous teams in the NBA and have had many of the greatest players in basketball history. Let’s take a look at their top five all-time single-season scoring leaders.
1. Kobe Bryant: 35.4 points per game (2005-06)
The Lakers traded for Bryant on Draft day from the Hornets in 1996. He played his entire career with the Lakers. While Bryant had many amazing scoring seasons, his best was in 2005-06 when he led the league with an average of 35.4 points per game. That season, he took 27.2 shots per game, which was the highest of his career by a large margin. Bryant made the All-Star team that year and finished fourth in MVP voting.
2. Elgin Baylor: 34.8 points per game (1960-61)
Baylor earned the Rookie of the Year Award with the Minneapolis Lakers in 1958-59. He averaged 24.9 points, 15.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, which helped him become an All-Star and finish third in MVP voting. In the 1960-61 season, he ranked second in the league with an average of 34.8 points per game, only behind Wilt Chamberlain, who averaged 38.4 points.
3. Elgin Baylor: 34.0 ppg (1962-63)
In the 1961-62 season, Baylor had an impressive average of 38.3 points, but he only played in 48 games due to active military duty, which limited him to mostly weekend games. After that season, he played 80 games in 1962-63 and averaged 34.0 points per game. This scoring average was the second highest in the NBA, just behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 44.8 points. Baylor spent his entire career with the Lakers, where he averaged 27.4 points and was selected for 11 All-Star teams. He was later inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
4. Kobe Bryant: 31.6 ppg (2006-07)
After leading the league in scoring in 2005-06, Bryant repeated the feat the next season by averaging 31.6 points per game. Even though his shot attempts dropped to 22.8 per game that year, he became more efficient, shooting 46.3% from the field. This season also marked the third year in a row that Bryant averaged over 10.0 free-throw attempts per game. He made the All-Star team and came in third for MVP voting that year. Throughout his career, Bryant averaged 25.0 points, was selected for 18 All-Star teams, won an MVP award, and secured five championships. He was later inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
