As every NBA season begins, rookies have their chance to make strong first impressions.
There have been some high expectations placed on rookies right out the gate some years -- LeBron James, Zion Williamson and Victor Wembanyama are among the most highly anticipated young players the NBA has ever seen. Other times, a first-year player seemingly comes out of nowhere, quickly making a name for themselves in the league.
Some rookies have had high-scoring games in their NBA debuts, quickly putting themselves on a track to stardom.
Here is a breakdown of the highest-scoring NBA debuts of all-time.
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Who scored the most points in an NBA debut?
The record for most points scored in an NBA debut is held by -- who else? -- Wilt Chamberlain.
On Oct. 24, 1959, Chamberlain scored 43 points in his first-ever NBA game. He's the only player in league history to break 40 points to start an NBA career.
A total of eight players have scored 30 or more points in their debuts, a list headlined by Maurice Stokes, Isiah Thomas, Allen Iverson and Lamar Odom. Odom was the most recent player to join the list, scoring 30 points in his debut in 1999.
Here is the list of highest-scoring debuts in NBA history:
Rank Player Points Year
1. Wilt Chamberlain 43 1959
2. Frank Selvy 35 1954
3. John Drew 32 1974
Maurice Stokes 32 1955
5. Isiah Thomas 31 1981
6. Willie Anderson 30 1988
Allen Iverson 30 1996
Lamar Odom 30 1999
9. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 29 1969
Walt Bellamy 29 1961
Gordan Giriček 29 2002
12. Danny Finn 28 1953
13. Ron Anderson 27 1984
Paolo Banchero 27 2022
Chris Duarte 27 2021
Bobby Jackson 27 1997
Jerry Stackhouse 27 1995
P.J. Washington 27 2019
19. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf 26 1990
Darrell Griffith 26 1980
Cleo Hill 26 1961
Magic Johnson 26 1979
Donyell Marshall 26 1994
Jahlil Okafor 26 2015
Mitchell Wiggins 26 1983
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How many points did LeBron James score in his NBA debut?
The No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, LeBron James made his highly anticipated debut on Oct. 29, 2003.
James played a total of 43 minutes, finishing with 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals. It wasn't enough to defeat the Kings, who beat the Cavaliers by a final score of 106-92. You can watch the entire game here.
James went on to average 20.9 points, 5.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game in his rookie season.
How many points did Michael Jordan score in his NBA debut?
Another NBA legend, Michael Jordan, went for 16 points in his 1984 NBA debut for the Chicago Bulls.
He added seven assists, six rebounds and two steals in 40 minutes as Chicago beat the Bullets.
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