Here NBA fans can find lists of the top five scorers, rebounders, assist leaders, shot blockers, three-point shot makers, steals leaders and winningest coaches in NBA Playoff history. Both Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal are among the playoff leaders in points, rebounds and blocks. Each list includes a link to an article that profiles the men leading that particular statistical category.
At a minimum, this page will be updated after each postseason and whenever there is movement on a list.
Last updated May 17, 2013
Top Five Scorers in NBA Playoff History
Photo Credit: Steve Lipofsky/Basketballphoto.com/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike3.0 Unported license
| Player | Playoff Points | Career |
| 1. Michael Jordan | 5,987 | 1984-1993, 1995-1998 and 2001-2003 |
| 2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 5,762 | 1969-1989 |
| 3. Kobe Bryant | 5,640 | 1996-Present |
| 4. Shaquille O’Neal | 5,250 | 1992-2011 |
| 5. Karl Malone | 4,761 | 1985-2004 |
Click here for profiles of the Top Five Scorers in NBA Playoff History.
Top Five Rebounders in NBA Playoff History
| Player | Playoff Rebounds | Career |
| 1. Bill Russell | 4,104 | 1956-1969 |
| 2. Wilt Chamberlain | 3,913 | 1959-1973 |
| 3. Shaquille O’Neal | 2,508 | 1992-2011 |
| 4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 2,481 | 1969-1989 |
| 5. Tim Duncan | 2,400 | 1997-Present |
Click here for profiles of the Top Five Rebounders in NBA Playoff History.
Top Five Assist Leaders in NBA Playoff History
Photo Credit: Steve Lipofsky/Basketballphoto.com/Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license
| Player | Playoff Assists | Career |
| 1. Magic Johnson | 2,346 | 1979-1991 and 1996 |
| 2. John Stockton | 1,839 | 1984-2003 |
| 3. Jason Kidd | 1,262 | 1994-Present |
| 4. Larry Bird | 1,062 | 1979-1992 |
| 5. Steve Nash | 1,061 | 1996-Present |
Click here for profiles of the Top Five Assist Leaders in NBA Playoff History.
Top Five Shot Blockers in NBA Playoff History
| Player | Playoff Blocks | Career |
| 1. Tim Duncan | 484 | 1997-Present |
| 2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 476 | 1969-1989 |
| 3. Hakeem Olajuwon | 472 | 1984-2002 |
| 4. Shaquille O’Neal | 459 | 1992-2011 |
| 5. David Robinson | 312 | 1989-2003 |
Click here for profiles of the Top Five Shot Blockers in NBA Playoff History.
Top Five Three-Point Shot Makers in NBA Playoff History
| Player | Playoff Three-Pointers Made | Career |
| 1. Ray Allen | 330 | 1996-Present |
| 2. Reggie Miller | 320 | 1987-2005 |
| 3. Kobe Bryant | 292 | 1996-Present |
| 4. Derek Fisher | 273 | 1996-Present |
| 5. Chauncey Billups | 267 | 1997-Present |
Click here for profiles of four of the Top Five Three-Point Shot Makers in NBA Playoff History.
Top Five Steals Leaders in NBA Playoff History
Photo Credit: Steve Lipofsky/Basketballphoto.com/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike3.0 Unported license
| Player | Playoff Steals | Career |
| 1. Scottie Pippen | 395 | 1987-2004 |
| 2. Michael Jordan | 376 | 1984-1993, 1995-1998 and 2001-2003 |
| 3. Magic Johnson | 358 | 1979-1991 and 1996 |
| 4. John Stockton | 338 | 1984-2003 |
| 5. Kobe Bryant | 310 | 1996-Present |
Click here for profiles of four of the Top Five Steals Leaders in NBA Playoff History.
Top Five Winningest Coaches in NBA Playoff History
| Coach | Playoff Wins | Career |
| 1. Phil Jackson | 229 | 1989-1998, 1999-2004 and 2006-2011 |
| 2. Pat Riley | 171 | 1981-1990, 1991-2003 and 2005-2008 |
| 3. Gregg Popovich | 126 | 1996-Present |
| 4. Larry Brown | 100 | 1976-1979, 1981-1983, 1988-2006 and 2008-2010 |
| 5. Red Auerbach | 99 | 1949-1966 |
Click here for profiles of the Top Five Winningest Coaches in NBA Playoff History.
3 comments
dj tony says:
February 9, 2013 at 4:02 pm (UTC -7)
this helps to solidify Kobe’s position as arguably the top player in history , due to him being in the top tier of almost all necessary categories….and still ticking.
mig says:
March 4, 2013 at 2:32 pm (UTC -7)
dj tony… if you think that 3 of those categories means “almost all categories” then i guess. and what does “necessary” mean? rebound stats aren’t necessary? block stats aren’t necessary? how are you using “necessary” here? if you want to really hear something interesting how bout this? kobe bryant has played 17 years in the league and has scored 5,640 points in playoffs. meanwhile michael jordan only played roughly 14 years in the league and managed to score 13 points shy of 6,000 point total in playoff history. now that is something.
Nate says:
March 12, 2013 at 8:58 am (UTC -7)
Kobe also wasn’t the main man in Los Angeles until about 2005. So, already that’s 8-9 years on his career already. So what he has been able to do in the past 8 kills your argument.