Most scoring titles in NBA history: Joel Embiid goes level with Kobe Bryant, Steph Curry and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Joel Embiid is having a historic season for the 76ers. The big man joins elite company by bagging his second scoring title.

Most scoring titles in NBA history: Joel Embiid goes level with Kobe Bryant, Steph Curry and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Joel Embiid (Via CNN)

Joel Embiid has made history by winning the NBA in scoring for the second straight season. The Philadelphia 76ers center averaged 33.1 points per game, very narrowly beating out Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks by 0.7 points, who finished with 32.4 points per game.

He is the first player in his position since Bob McAdoo won two consecutive scoring titles in 1976. He is also the first international player and the first Sixer since Allen Iverson in 2005 to top the league in scoring.

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The players who have won two scoring titles are Joel Embiid, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Bernard King and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Westbrook won back-to-back titles from 2016-17 to 2017-18. Curry won back-to-back titles from 2015-16 to 2016-17. Bryant won back-to-back titles from 2005-06 to 2006-07. McGrady won back-to-back titles from 2002-03 to 2003-04. King won two non-consecutive titles in 1984-85 and 1990-91 and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won two consecutive titles in 1970-71 and 1972-73.

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Embiid’s scoring prowess was a key factor in the Sixers’ success this season, as they clinched the third seed in the Eastern Conference and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Embiid displayed his scoring prowess and efficiency throughout the season, hitting 54.8 percent of his shots from the field, 33 percent from beyond the arc, and 85.7 percent from the charity stripe.

Embiid also improved his scoring average by 2.5 points from last season, when he won his first scoring title with 30.6 points per game. He did so despite missing 21 games due to injuries and health and safety protocols.

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Joel Embiid Joins the Multiple Scoring Title Club

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By winning his second scoring title, Embiid joins a select group of players who have won multiple scoring crowns in their careers. Only 12 players have done so in NBA history, and only six have done so more than twice.

Embiid joins an elite group of players who have won multiple scoring titles in their careers. The only player with more than him is Michael Jordan, who has 10 to his name. Wilt Chamberlain is second with seven, followed by George Gervin and Kevin Durant with four each. Gervin and Chamberlain both had three-peat seasons, while Durant won four out of five from 2009-10 to 2013-14. Three other players have won three scoring titles: Allen Iverson and Bob McAdoo. Iverson and McAdoo also had back-to-back seasons.

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Embiid’s scoring dominance is not the only reason he is a frontrunner for the MVP award this season. He also leads the league in player efficiency rating (PER) with 31.6 and is second in win shares per 48 minutes (WS/48) with .288. He is the first player ever to average at least 28 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and one block per game while shooting 50/40/80 splits from the field, three-point range, and free-throw line.

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