LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and one of the best players in league history, has won championships with three different teams, but is synonymous with Cleveland. The 21-time All-Star, who is from Akron, Ohio, was drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft, won two of his NBA MVPs with the Cavs, and led the team to its first and only championship in 2016. James played nine seasons in Cleveland and is the franchise’s all-time leader in almost every statistical category, including points (23,119), rebounds (6,190), assists (6,228), steals (1,376), and triple-doubles (64).
James was so dominant during his time in Cleveland that he has more than double the number of points as the franchise’s second all-time leading scorer, Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Here’s a look at the scoring prowess of Ilgauskas and the next four players behind James on the Cavs’ all-time points list.
1. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (10,616)
A first-round pick, 20th overall, of the Cavaliers in the 1996 NBA Draft, Ilgauskas is a 7-foot-3 center who played 12 of his 13 NBA seasons in Cleveland. After missing the 1996-97 season due to a broken bone in his foot, he earned All-Rookie Team distinction the following season, averaging 13.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. Ilgauskas averaged double digit points in 11 of his 12 seasons with the Cavaliers and was an All-Star in 2002-03 and 2004-05. He averaged a career-best 17.2 points per game in 2002-03.
Also an elite rim protector, Ilgauskas averaged at least two blocks per game in consecutive seasons in 2003-04 and 2004-05. He is Cleveland’s all-time leader in blocks with 1,269. Only two other players have more than 1,000 blocks, while James is fourth with 695.
Ilgauskas signed with the Miami Heat as a free agent in July 2010 and retired the following offseason. The Lithuanian center had 10,616 points with the Cavaliers and was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
2. Brad Daugherty (10,389)
A five-time All-Star, Brad Daughtery was the face of the Cavaliers franchise well before James arrived in 2003-04. Cleveland drafted Daugherty first overall with the pick they acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers for Roy Hinson and $800,000 in 1986. A 7-foot center from North Carolina, Daugherty played eight seasons in the NBA, all with the Cleveland, and averaged 19 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He averaged a career-best 21.6 points in 1990-91 and had at least 15.7 points per game in each of his eight seasons with the team.
Daugherty last played for the Cavaliers in the 1993-94 season, after which he was forced to retire due to back injuries. He has been involved in NASCAR as a team owner since 1997 and is currently a co-owner of Hyak Motorsports.
3. Austin Carr (10,265)
Another first overall pick of the Cavaliers, Austin Carr was the top pick in the 1971 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Washington, D.C. played college basketball at Notre Dame and was third in Rookie of the Year voting in 1971-72 after averaging 21.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 43 games. Carr spent nine seasons in Cleveland and averaged 16.2 points, including a career-best 21.9 points in 1973-74, when he earned his first and only All-Star selection.
The Cavaliers left Carr unprotected in the 1980 NBA Expansion Draft, and he was chosen by the Dallas Mavericks. He played just eight games in Dallas before the team sold his rights to the Washington Bullets. Carr retired following the 1980-81 season. He won the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for “outstanding service and dedication to the community” in 1980.
4. Mark Price (9,543)
A second-round pick of the Mavericks in the 1986 NBA Draft, Mark Price was subsequently traded to the Cavaliers for a second-round pick in the 1989 NBA Draft. He spent nine seasons in Cleveland and was a four-time All-Star. Price, a 6-foot point guard from Oklahoma, also finished in the top 10 in NBA MVP voting four times. After averaging just 6.9 points in his rookie season, he exceeded 15 points per game in each of his next eight seasons in Cleveland, finishing his tenure with 9,543 points, or 16.4 per game in 582 regular season contests.
Price also averaged 7.2 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game during his time in Cleveland. He led the league in free throw percentage in 1991-92 and 1992-93. Cleveland traded Price to the Washington Bullets in September 1995 for a first-round pick in the 1996 draft.
5. Bingo Smith (9,513)
Robert “Bingo” Smith scored 9,513 points throughout 10 seasons in Cleveland. He averaged double-digit points in nine of those seasons, including a career-best 15.9 points in 1974-75. The San Diego Rockets drafted the 6-foot-5 shooting guard sixth overall in the 1969 NBA Draft, but Cleveland selected him the following year in the NBA Expansion Draft. He played a key role in leading the Cavs to their first playoff appearance in 1975-76 and scored the game-winning basket in the team’s first playoff victory.
Cleveland traded Smith to the San Diego Clippers for a third-round draft pick in 1979. His No. 7 jersey is one of seven retired by the Cavaliers.