Career Scoring Highs in College & NBA for Most Explosive Professional Players

In Michael Jordan's heyday, the lame joke was that the only coach who could contain him was his college mentor (Dean Smith). Jordan's 17.7-point average in three seasons from 1981-82 through 1983-84 with North Carolina paled in comparison to his 15-year NBA mark (30.1). Can the wisecrack be inherited by Devin Booker and Kentucky coach John Calipari?

Booker, scoreless in his first UK game (vs. Grand Canyon), also went without a point seven contests later against Texas. In fact, one-and-done Booker tallied a grand total of 54 points in his 13 lowest-scoring outings as UK freshman in 2014-15. But two seasons later in a performance worthy of ginning up brassy-and-sassy supermodel's undivided attention, Booker erupted for 51 second-half points when finishing with 70 for the Phoenix Suns in a game at Boston, giving him the highest differential (51) between his NBA high and college high (19) among players scoring more than 60 in an NBA tilt.

Booker, who already is the Suns' franchise leader in 30-point outbursts, and boffo bubble-boy Damion Lillard are two of only seven players in NBA history with multiple games scoring 59 or more points, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Jordan, James Harden and Elgin Baylor. Booker, 24, is the fourth-youngest NBA player to reach 7,500-point plateau, joining LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony in that celebrated circle. Bradley Beal, who scored 57 of his 60 points for Washington Wizards in first three quarters of game against the Philadelphia 76ers this season, tallied a modest college-career high of 22 in his lone campaign with Florida in 2011-12 (against both Wright State and Stetson in pre-conference competition).

One for the books was Pete Maravich of the New Orleans Jazz outscoring five former backcourt All-Americans with the New York Knicks (Butch Beard/Ticky Burden/Walt Frazier/Dean Meminger/Earl Monroe), 68-41, in a memorable outing during Pistol's seventh NBA season. Among former major-college players erupting for more than 60 points in an NBA game, following is a look at the difference between their career highs in the pros and college:

NCAA DI Player Major-College Career High (Date) NBA Career High > 60 (Date) Difference
Devin Booker 19 with Kentucky (11-25-14 & 12-20-14) 70 with Phoenix Suns (3-24-17) 51 points
Wilt Chamberlain 52 with Kansas (12-5-56) 100 with Philadelphia 76ers (3-2-62) 48
Michael Jordan 39 with North Carolina (1-29-83) 69 with Chicago Bulls (3-28-90) 30
Carmelo Anthony 33 with Syracuse (4-5-03) 62 with New York Knicks (1-24-14) 29
Karl Malone 40 with Louisiana Tech (12-5-83) 61 with Utah Jazz (1-27-90) 21
David Robinson 50 with Navy (3-12-87) 71 with San Antonio Spurs (4-24-94) 21
James Harden 40 with Arizona State (11-30-08) 61 with Houston Rockets (1-23-19 & 3-22-19) 21
Damian Lillard 41 with Weber State (12-3-11) 61 with Portland Trail Blazers (1-20-20 & 8-11-20) 20
Jerry West 44 with West Virginia (12-1-59) 63 with Los Angeles Lakers (1-17-62) 19
Stephen Curry 44 with Davidson (11-18-08 & 12-6-08) 62 with Golden State Warriors (1-3-21) 18
David Thompson 57 with North Carolina State (12-5-74) 73 with Denver Nuggets (4-9-78) 16
Elgin Baylor 60 with Seattle (1-30-58) 71 with Los Angeles Lakers (11-15-60) 11
George Mikan 53 with DePaul (3-12-45) 61 with Minneapolis Lakers (1-20-52) 8
Shaquille O'Neal 53 with Louisiana State (12-18-90) 61 with Los Angeles Lakers (3-6-00) 8
Rick Barry 59 with Miami FL (2-23-65) 64 with Golden State Warriors (3-26-74) 5
Pete Maravich 69 with Louisiana State (2-7-70) 68 with New Orleans Jazz (2-25-77) -1 point

NOTE: Joe Fulks (Murray State) and George Gervin (Eastern Michigan) each scored 63 points in an NBA game but their schools weren't classified as major colleges when they played for them.