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The NBA 20K points club is filled with Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame players. Joining the club requires maintaining a high scoring production for a good amount of period, which isn't easy to do in a competitive league like the NBA. While the majority of the players who've scored 20,000 career points are mostly superstars and all-time greats, there are a few names that might raise some eyebrows. Here is a look at the 10 most surprising NBA players to reach 20K points.
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Antawn Jamison
Antawn Jamison was a solid player back in the day. He was a two-time NBA All-Star and a former NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner. But while he was good, few would consider him elite. Jamison is one of the few players in the 20K points club that isn't inducted in the Hall of Fame. He has also played for cellar-dwelling franchises throughout his career, probably a good reason why his 20,042 career points were quieter compared to other notable stars in the club.
Tom Chambers
Another player in the 20K points club that didn't make it to the Basketball Hall of Fame was Tom Chambers. He was a reliable scorer, having scored 20,049 points in his career. He was a four-time NBA All-Star and a two-time All-NBA Team selection.
While he had several good scoring seasons, his personal statistics didn't necessarily translate to winning basketball. In fact, the only notable playoff success he had in his career was helping the Phoenix Suns appear in the 1993 NBA Finals. Scoring-wise, Chamber was good. However, many would also agree that he doesn't exactly belong in the same caliber as most of the players in this list.
Robert Parish
Robert Parish was a reliable big man back in the day, having won four NBA titles in his career. However, it's quite surprising that the nine-time NBA All-Star actually made this list. Parish wasn't known for his scoring. Instead, it was his rim protection and rebounding that were his calling card. As a result, it was quite impressive that he scored 23,334 points in his career despite not registering a single season where he averaged more than 20 points per game.
Chris Paul
Chris Paul is an elite point guard who never shied away from being the on-court general. In fact, he has coined the moniker of “Point God” thanks to his high IQ and reputation as a pass-first player. In fact, Paul has the second-most career assists in NBA history. As a result, it was certainly head turning to know that he has also collected 23,011 points in his career despite being known for sacrificing his scoring to make his teammates look better.
Joe Johnson
Joe Johnson was one of the premiere isolation players in the NBA during his peak. He was a capable scorer. However, few would consider him as a franchise superstar worth building around since his scoring never exactly translated to wins.
But despite having scoring as his calling card, the seven-time NBA All-Star is surprisingly one of the select few to finish his career with a 20K-5K-5K stat line. But for a one-dimensional scorer, it was quite unexpected to see him sustain his high scoring production, something most pure scorers struggle to do for a long period.
LaMarcus Aldridge
When he was healthy, LaMarcus Aldridge was easily automatic from the midrange in the post. The seven-time NBA All-Star was one of the best face-up big men in the league, especially during his time with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he was the face of the franchise. However, Aldridge was often the laid-back personality who was often overlooked and underrated. So his 20,558 career points were relatively quiet.
DeMar DeRozan
Few NBA fans would put DeMar DeRozan as one of the greats. However, he has already broken through the 25K-point barrier. DeRozan never found much playoff success throughout his career. Furthermore, while he's automatic from midrange, DeRozan also isn't the flashiest player that turns heads whenever he's putting points on the board. The six-time NBA All-Star's presence in this club is quite surprising, especially with his old-school style of play.
Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol may have been the main option during his days with the Memphis Grizzlies, but his more famous seasons came with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played second fiddle to Kobe Bryant. It's quite surprising that the Spanish power forward made the 20K points club given that he wasn't a volume scorer.
Furthermore, playing alongside an ultimate scorer like Bryant does take away a lot of touches. As a result, it's quite impressive that the two-time NBA champion found a way to make it to 20,894 career points.
Gary Payton
While Gary Payton was the face of the Seattle Supersonics during his peak, he was mainly popular for his elite perimeter defense. Known as The Glove, Payton's entry into the 20K points club is surprising because he wasn't a scorer. In fact, it was his defense that was so good that it overshadowed his mark on the offensive end.
Walt Bellamy
Standing at 6-foot-11, Walt Bellamy was one of the most imposing big men back in the day. He was also a force to be reckoned with for at least the first few years in the NBA, highlighted by his NBA Rookie of the Year win when he averaged 31.6 points per game. But unfortunately, Bellamy started to regress as his numbers dipped for the rest of his career.
Whether it was better teammates or simply stiff competition against the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain, the four-time All-Star was overshadowed. Moreover, even with a career dipping into oblivion, it was a surprise that Bellamy managed to do enough to break through the 20K-point barrier.
