Many of the greatest big men in NBA history have excelled as prolific interior scorers, in addition to being strong defensive contributors and excellent rebounders. The following list showcases players who were masters at scoring inside the paint with high efficiency.
One of the most dominant big men of all time, O’Neal is a Hall of Famer who lived and thrived in the paint. He was a four-time NBA champion, three-time Finals MVP, the 2000 regular-season MVP and a 15-time All-Star. He was also selected to three All-Defense teams and was the league’s scoring champion twice. During his 2000 MVP season, he led the league in points per game (29.7) and field-goal percentage (57.4%). That was in the middle of a five-year streak of leading the league in field-goal efficiency. O’Neal boasts a career 58.2 FG%, never dipping below 55.7 FG% and topping out a 66.7 FG% during his final NBA season with the Boston Celtics. O’Neal is most known for his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he spent the first four seasons of his career with the Orlando Magic. After the eight-season stint with the Lakers, he spent four seasons with the Miami Heat, two with the Phoenix Suns, and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers before his closing Celtics campaign. O’Neal ranks 12th all-time in career field-goal percentage.
Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain put together one of the best NBA careers from the center position. The Hall of Famer is a four-time MVP and two-time NBA champion, winning Finals MVP in 1972. He was a 13-time All-Star, an 11-time rebounding champion, a seven-time scoring champion and a one-time assist champion. He was also a two-time All-Defense team selection and won Rookie of the Year. Chamberlain finished with a 54.0 FG% for his career, topping out a 72.7 FG% in 1972-73 – his final year in the league. Chamberlain spent his first six seasons with the Philadelphia, and then San Francisco, Warriors. He then moved on to play four seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and closed out his career with five seasons on the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jordan, a key member in the “Lob City” LA Clippers era, was known for some of the most high-flying dunks in the NBA during his prime. The three-time All-NBA selection, two-time rebounding champion and two-time All-Defense selection won a title with the Denver Nuggets in 2023. He led the NBA in field-goal percentage for five straight seasons, from 2012-13 through 2016-17. During that stretch, Jordan shot 69.0 FG%. He boasts a career 67.4 FG% and topped out at 76.5 FG% in 2022-23. Currently still with the Nuggets, Jordan began his career with the Clippers and played with the organization for a decade. After that, he split the 2018-19 season between the Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks. He followed up with two seasons for the Brooklyn Nets, then split 2021-22 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers before beginning his tenure in Denver.
Other Multi-Time Field-Goal Percentage Leaders
Artis Gilmore (4)
Neil Johnston (3)
Alex Groza (2)
Ed Macauley (2)
Ken Sears (2)
Johnny Green (2)
Cedric Maxwell (2)
Kevin McHale (2)
Buck Williams (2)
Gheorghe Muresan (2)
Rudy Gobert (2)