National Basketball Association

Embiid, Jordan, Wilt and the history of the NBA scoring title

Published Apr. 10, 2022 4:26 p.m. ET

Many view Joel Embiid as the current NBA's version of Shaquille O'Neal. And he officially reiterated that narrative this weekend.

This season's scoring title proved to be a tooth-and-nail fight between Embiid (30.6), LeBron James (30.3), Kevin Durant (30.1) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (29.9) — even though James and Durant didn't end up qualifying for the race because they didn't play at least 70% of their team's games.

But at 30.6 points per game, a number bolstered by three 40-plus-point performances in three of his last four games, Embiid was able to hold off the legendary competition.

He is the first center to average 30-plus points since Moses Malone in 1981-82.

And with that, he etched his name in the record books as a big-man scoring champion, which there are shockingly few of.

The last big man to win the scoring title, as noted above, was Shaq in 1999-2000. Since then, Durant (4), Allen Iverson (3), James Harden (3), Tracy McGrady (2), Stephen Curry (2), Russell Westbrook (2), Kobe Bryant (2), James (1), Dwyane Wade (1) and Carmelo Anthony (1) have been the league's top scorers.

Before O'Neal over two decades ago, the last true centers to lead the league in scoring were Shaq in 1994-95, and David Robinson the year before.

Before that? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971-72.

However, Embiid, O'Neal, Robinson or Abdul-Jabbar, though prolific scorers, can't touch one big man when it comes to single-season scoring feats.

Wilt Chamberlain won seven scoring titles and has five of the six highest scoring averages in a single season in NBA history, including the top single-season scoring average in league history (50.4, 1961-62).

Here are a few more facts and figures regarding the NBA scoring title:

Michael Jordan holds the record for most scoring titles (10) and 18 players have won more than one scoring title in league history: Jordan, Chamberlain, George Mikan, Paul Arizin, Neil Johnston, Bob Pettit, Abdul-Jabbar, Bob McAdoo, George Gervin, Adrian Dantley, O'Neal, Iverson, McGrady, Bryant, Durant, Westbrook, Curry and Harden.
Neil Johnston averaged 22.3 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in 1952-53, the lowest average for a scoring champion in NBA history.
Allen Iverson's 26.8 PPG in 1998-99 for the Philadelphia 76ers is the lowest average for a scoring champion since the 3-point line was added.
The scoring title has been decided by 0.5 points just six times in league history: 2011-12 (Durant over Bryant), 2009-10 (Durant over James), 1998-99 (Iverson over O'Neal), 1997-98 (Jordan over O'Neal), 1993-94 (Robinson over O'Neal) and 1977-78 (Gervin over David Thompson).

The longest streak of consecutive scoring titles is a tie between Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain, who each won seven straight scoring titles — Jordan from 1987-93 and Chamberlain from 1960-66.
In 1972-73, Tiny Archibald became the first player in NBA history to win the scoring title (34.0) and assists title (11.4) in the same season. In 1977-78, Oscar Robertson became the second (29.2 PPG and 9.7 APG).
Two players in NBA history have won both the scoring title and rebound title in the same season: Johnston (1954-55) and Chamberlain (1959-60, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63 and 1965-66).