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. In 2025, Philadelphia 76ers rookie V.J. Edgecombe put forth a huge effort in his debut against the Boston Celtics.
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 10 players have scored 30 or more points in their debuts, a list headlined by Maurice Stokes, Isiah Thomas, Allen Iverson and Lamar Odom. Prior to 2025, Odom had been the most recent player to join the list, scoring 30 points in his debut in 1999.
However, 76ers rookie V.J. Edgecombe joined the top of the list in 2025, scoring 34 points in his debut matchup against the Celtics. The No. 3 selection in the 2025 NBA Draft added in seven rebounds, three assists and one steal in a 117-116 win for his squad.
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. | V.J. Edgecombe | 34 | 2025 |
| 4. | John Drew | 32 | 1974 |
| Maurice Stokes | 32 | 1955 | |
| 6. | Isiah Thomas | 31 | 1981 |
| 7. | Willie Anderson | 30 | 1988 |
| Dan Issel | 30 | 1976 | |
| Allen Iverson | 30 | 1996 | |
| Lamar Odom | 30 | 1999 | |
| 11. | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 29 | 1969 |
| Walt Bellamy | 29 | 1961 | |
| Gordan Giriček | 29 | 2002 | |
| 14. | Danny Finn | 28 | 1953 |
| 15. | 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 | |
| 21. | 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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V.J. Edgecombe NBA debut
To open the 2025-26 season, the 76ers had their top rookie step onto an NBA floor and immediately dominate. On a team that included All-Stars in Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, first-year guard V.J. Edgecombe posted 34 points in his NBA debut.
It marked the most points in an NBA debut in the 21st century, and he did it with a nice mix of dunks, 3-pointers and cuts to the rim.
30 POINTS FOR VJ EDGECOMBE.
MOST IN AN NBA DEBUT THIS CENTURY. pic.twitter.com/MJqips61l1
— NBA (@NBA) October 23, 2025
Per Real Sports, Edgecombe became the first player in NBA history to score 30 points with at least five 3-pointers in his league debut. Additionally, Philadelphia’s rookie broke LeBron James’ record for most first-quarter points in an NBA debut, torching the Celtics for 14 in the first frame of his career.
Most points in the first quarter of an NBA debut:
VJ Edgecombe: 14 (tonight)
LeBron James: 12 (Oct. 29, 2003)HISTORY FOR THE SIXERS’ #3 PICK 🤯 pic.twitter.com/EHJpqadzlR
— NBA (@NBA) October 23, 2025
At one point, Edgecombe scored 10 straight points for the 76ers in his debut. Maxey added in 40 points for Philadelphia, meaning the team’s starting backcourt had 74 of 117 total points.
VJ EDGECOMBE SCORED 10 STRAIGHT POINTS FOR PHILLY 🔥
THE ROOK IS HOOPIN’‼️ pic.twitter.com/i92H2Z6n08
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 23, 2025
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