HBCU Sports
  • SECTIONS
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • Softball
    • Volleyball
    • Track & Field
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Bowling
    • Other Sports
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Features
  • BANDS
  • VIDEOS
  • AWARDS
    • Support the HBCU Sports Awards
    • Donor Wall
  • FORUMS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
  • SHOP
No Result
View All Result
HBCU Sports
  • SECTIONS
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • Softball
    • Volleyball
    • Track & Field
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Bowling
    • Other Sports
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Features
  • BANDS
  • VIDEOS
  • AWARDS
    • Support the HBCU Sports Awards
    • Donor Wall
  • FORUMS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
  • SHOP
No Result
View All Result
HBCU Sports
No Result
View All Result
Home Basketball

LeBron James is the king of NBA scoring. But HBCU players were bucket-getters, too

Jarrett Hoffman by Jarrett Hoffman
February 10, 2023
0
BOSTON, MA - 1962: Sam Jones #24 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers circa 1962 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1962 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)

BOSTON, MA - 1962: Sam Jones #24 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers circa 1962 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1962 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)

1.1k
VIEWS

NBA history was made when LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul Jabbar to become the league’s all-time leading scorer.

Abdul Jabbar initially set the new mark in 1984 (the same year James was born), with many believing the mark was unbreakable.

This got us thinking. Where do the HBCU greats that have played in the NBA sit on the all-time scoring list? There have been several HBCU players who have made it to the NBA, eventually going on to have a significant impact in the league.

Here are the top highest-scoring HBCU players in NBA history.

1. Earl Monroe- 17,454 points

Earl “The Pearl” Monroe leads the pack of HBCU scorers in NBA history accounting for 17,454 points in his 13-year career. Monroe sits among the top 100 scorers in NBA history, currently at 90th.

Monroe had his best stint in the first five seasons of his career with the then-Baltimore Bullets (the team that drafted him second overall in the 1967 NBA Draft).

He scored 7,775 total points with the Bullets, good for an average of 23.7 points

Monroe built his reputation as a scorer in college at Winston-Salem State University, averaging 26.7 points per game in his four years and becoming the CIAA’s all-time leading scorer.

This includes a senior season in which he posted an NCAA Division II record of 1,329 total points (41.5 point average), leading his team to the Division II national championship.

2. Bob Dandridge- 15,530 points

Norfolk State great Bob Dandridge was a model of consistency in his 13 seasons in the NBA averaging 18.5 points in his career.

From his second season in the NBA in 1970 to the 1979-1980 season, Dandridge averaged over 17 points each year, including a career-best 21.5 points in 1975-1976.

He had great success in the pros, making it to four NBA Finals and winning two championships.

Interestingly, the Spartans’ forward has a better career-scoring average in the playoffs (20.1) than in the regular season.

Dandridge entered the NBA coming off a dominant senior season with Norfolk State in which he averaged 32.7 points per game.

3. Sam Jones- 15,411 points

Playing for the Boston Celtics from 1957-1969, North Carolina Central alum Sam Jones was the personification of winning in his NBA career.

Playing alongside all-time great center Bill Russell, Jones won 10 NBA championships in his 12 seasons, making it to the NBA Finals in all but one season.

The Celtics guard was not just a tag-along player on those championship teams either. He was named to five NBA All-Star teams and three All-NBA teams.

Jones was an excellent scorer throughout his career, averaging 17.7 points in his 12 seasons in the league. His best stretch came from 1964-1968, when he averaged 23.3 points.

Like Dandridge, the former NC Central guard has a better scoring average in the playoffs (18.9) than in the regular season.

4. Dick Barnett- 15,358 points 

Of all the players on this list, Dick Barnett arguably had the more dominant collegiate run. In his time with Tennessee State (then Tennessee A&I), he averaged 23.6 points leading the team to three consecutive NAIA national championships.

Moving on to the NBA, where he was the fifth overall pick in the 1959 draft, Barnett carved out a solid career, winning two NBA championships and being named an All-Star in 1968.

He averaged 15.8 points in the NBA, with his best season coming in 1965-1966, when he averaged 23.1 points.

5. Purvis Short- 14,607 points

Although Jackson State forward Purvis Short is the only player on this list never to be named an All-Star, you’d never know that when looking at his scoring numbers.

In his 12-year career, Short averaged 17.3 points, including four seasons averaging over 20 points a game. In the 1984-1985 season, he had his best year, putting up 28.0 points per game (ranked fourth in the NBA).

He scored the most points of any HBCU player in a single game, going off for 59 points in 1984. This was one of two 50-point games Short had, with the other being a 57-point effort a year prior.

6. Bob Love- 13,895 points

Before Michael Jordan took the Chicago Bulls to six NBA Finals and changed the scope of the franchise forever, it was Southern star Bob Love who was the team’s franchise player.

In his nine seasons with the team, he averaged 21.3 points accounting for 12,623 of his 13,895 career points. In addition, he was named to three All-Star teams, three All-Defensive teams, and two All-NBA teams.

His best season in the league came in 1971-1972 when he averaged 25.8 points per game

7. Charles Oakley – 12,417 points

Virginia Union alum Charles Oakley played an astonishing 19 years in the NBA, providing toughness and intimidation to any team he played for.

Although he was not exactly a great scorer, Oakley did put up a modest career scoring average of 9.7 points per game, including nine seasons with a double-digit scoring average.

His best season came in 1989-1990 when he put up 14.6 points in his second of 10 seasons with the New York Knicks.

The same could not be said about Oakley’s college career, as he scored 20.3 points in his four years at Virginia Union.

As a senior, the Panthers’ big man averaged 24.0 points per game on his way to being named Division II Player of the Year.

LeBron James1
Photo: Los Angeles Lakers/Twitter

8. Willis Reed – 12,183 points

All-time great Grambling State center Willis Reed is easily the most accomplished HBCU player to ever step foot in the NBA, with a laundry list of individual and team awards to his name.

Playing his entire career with the New York Knicks, Reed is the only HBCU player to ever win league MVP and/or Finals MVP. In addition, he also won two NBA championships, seven All-Star selections, and five All-NBA selections.

Unfortunately, Reed’s career in the NBA was cut short due to injuries preventing him from climbing the all-time scoring list.

In his first seven years in the league, Reed had already amassed 11,066 total points (an average of 20.1 points per game).

9. Truck Robinson – 11,988 points

We end the list with a pair of Tennessee State alum beginning with 11-year NBA veteran Truck Robinson. Robinson played for an assortment of teams averaging 15.5 points for his career.

His best stretch came from 1976-1982 when he averaged 19.6 points, securing two All-Star selections in between.

Before joining the NBA, Robinson was a star for Tennessee State leading the team to Division II playoff berths in each season, including reaching the national championship game in 1973.

He averaged 20.3 points in his time with the Tigers, including a 25.2 scoring average in his final two seasons.

10. Anthony Mason – 9,656 points

Capping things off is the late great Anthony Mason, who played 13 seasons in the NBA.

In his career, the Tennessee State alum averaged 10.9 points, including six seasons averaging double-digit points.

His best stint came in his three years with the Charlotte Hornets, in which he averaged 13.4 points and was named Sixth Man of the Year in 1996-1997.

Jarrett Hoffman

Jarrett Hoffman

Jarrett Hoffman is an HBCU Sports contributor and a graduate of Bowie State University.

Related Posts

HBCU basketball teams to meet in Hollywood at NBA All-Star Weekend

by HBCU Sports
July 8, 2025
0
HBCU basketball teams to meet in Hollywood at NBA All-Star Weekend

Hampton University and North Carolina A&T have announced that the two historic institutions will square off in an in-conference matchup at the 2026 NBA HBCU Classic. The game...

Read moreDetails

HBCU football All-American and Civil Rights advocate has died

by Chris Stevens
July 8, 2025
0
HBCU football All-American and Civil Rights advocate has died

Pettis Norman, a former all-CIAA receiver at Johnson C. Smith who went on to a long and impactful NFL career, died Monday at age 86. Norman was born...

Read moreDetails

Chris Paul, NBA great and HBCU graduate, says he’s close to retirement

by Chris Stevens
July 7, 2025
0
NBA star, HBCU advocate Chris Paul is a Winston-Salem State graduate

Chris Paul has been a major contributor to HBCU basketball since earning a degree from Winston-Salem State and starting the CP3 HBCU Classic. If his recent appearance on...

Read moreDetails

Norfolk State’s new baseball coach has MLB experience, HBCU legacy on his side

by Chris Stevens
July 7, 2025
0
ML Morgan HBCU

M.L. Morgan won't have to look far for advice in his first official head baseball coach job. He can receive counsel from his father down the road at...

Read moreDetails

Mo Williams to be honored with Hall of Fame nod

by Chris Stevens
July 6, 2025
0
SWAC Tournament: What Mo Williams said about controversial basket interference call

Mo Williams is in the process of making his mark as an HBCU men's basketball coach, and now the Jackson native can add hall of famer to his...

Read moreDetails
Next Post
North Carolina A&T stopped by Stony Brook in tough road loss

North Carolina A&T stopped by Stony Brook in tough road loss

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe

RSS HBCU Sports Forums

  • Lackawanna College looks to make unprecedented move from JUCO to Division II
  • How do white presenting Latinos feel about agent orange welcoming white south Africans?
  • Song Requests Thread for the 2025 Band Season
  • The Chi on Showtime (Thread 3)
  • White men are ‘walking around on eggshells at work’, afraid to speak freely: Survey
  • Tremaine Jackson wants Prairie View to not just be ‘elite SWAC school’
  • SWAC Out of Conference Records the Last 4 Years
  • Conference realignment isn't over - PAC12 coming back
  • Lighten the Mood XIV
  • Another HBCU Champion Transfers to Power Four Program

  • TERMS & CONDITIONS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • COMMENT POLICY
  • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
 CONTACT US

© 2025 RASHAD MEDIA - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PARTNER OF IONE DIGITAL / CASSIUS NETWORK

No Result
View All Result
  • SECTIONS
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • Softball
    • Volleyball
    • Track & Field
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Bowling
    • Other Sports
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Features
  • BANDS
  • VIDEOS
  • AWARDS
    • Support the HBCU Sports Awards
    • Donor Wall
  • FORUMS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
  • SHOP

© 2025 RASHAD MEDIA - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PARTNER OF IONE DIGITAL / CASSIUS NETWORK

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • SECTIONS
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • Softball
    • Volleyball
    • Track & Field
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Bowling
    • Other Sports
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Features
  • BANDS
  • VIDEOS
  • AWARDS
    • Support the HBCU Sports Awards
    • Donor Wall
  • FORUMS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
  • SHOP

© 2025 RASHAD MEDIA - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PARTNER OF IONE DIGITAL / CASSIUS NETWORK

X