Who has the best field goal percentage in NBA history? We take a look at the top 10 players in FG percentage and find out who reigns supreme.
Introduction
In the game of basketball, shooting is perhaps the most important skill. A player who can shoot well can score from anywhere on the court, and a good shooting percentage can be the difference between winning and losing.
So, who has the best shooting percentage in NBA history? The answer may surprise you.
The Current Top Five
In the National Basketball Association (NBA), the field goal percentage (FG%) is a statistic used to gauge a player’s shooting proficiency. The higher a player’s FG%, the more efficient his shooting has been.
Because most successful shots are worth two points while unsuccessful shots are worth zero or three points, and because players tend to take more two-point than three-point shots, the FG% statistic gives slightly more weight to two-point than three-point shots.
The current top five NBA players with the highest FG% are:
1.Deandre Jordan (LAC) – 71.3%
2.Hassan Whiteside (MIA) – 70.3%
3.Dwight Howard (HOU) – 68.4%
4. Brook Lopez (BKN) – 67.8%
5. Rudy Gobert (UTA) – 67.1%
The All-Time Top Five
1. Lakers’ shooting guard Kobe Bryant has the best field goal percentage in NBA history, with a career average of .448.
2. Next on the list is Charlotte Hornets’ center DeAndre Jordan, who has a career average of .438.
3. San Antonio Spurs’ forward Tim Duncan is third on the list, with a career average of .437.
4. Houston Rockets’ center Dwight Howard rounds out the top four, with a career average of .435.
5. Rounding out the top five is Indiana Pacers’ center Myles Turner, with a career average of .432.
The Bottom Five
There have been many great shooters in NBA history, but only a handful can claim to be the best. To qualify for this list, a player must have played in at least 300 games and must have a career field goal percentage of at least 50%. Here are the five players with the lowest field goal percentage in NBA history.
5. Chris Dudley- 49.7%
4. Ben Wallace- 49.6%
3. Mehmet Okur- 49.4%
2. Dikembe Mutombo- 49.2%
1. Shaquille O’Neal- 48.7%
Conclusion
To review, shooting percentage is an important stat, but it’s not the be-all, end-all. Players like Reggie Miller and Steve Nash had high shooting percentages because they didn’t take a lot of shots, and players like Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson had low shooting percentages because they took a lot of shots. There are plenty of players who have shot well below 40 percent for their careers and still been great scorers (Michael Jordan, for one), and there are plenty of players who have shot well above 50 percent for their careers and been average scorers (think very big men who don’t shoot many threes).
Keyword: Who Has the Best FG Percentage in NBA History?
