Top 5 NBA Scoring Leaders Under 21

Attention Readers: If you’re under the age of 21, you cannot, I repeat, you CANNOT read this article. Do NOT proceed any further. Stop now.
Just kidding.
In America, turning 21 years old is a pretty huge deal, though. A whole new door of opportunities and possibilities opens up for you at that age, at least from a legal standpoint. But, speaking of being under the age of 21, how much would you say you accomplished in life prior to reaching that golden age mark? Nothing? A little? A lot?
Let’s focus our attention on the NBA’s Devin Booker. This kid is a prime example of someone who has certainly accomplished a lot in his life, prior to turning 21. The scary thing is, he’s only played NBA basketball for three seasons, by this point. There’s no telling what more he can achieve as he continues to perfect his game and develop into a seasoned veteran in the league. Who knows? Imagine what his résumé will look like by the time his playing days are over. We’ll see.
Booker was taken by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft; he was the 13th overall pick. He was only 18 years old when he was drafted.
Sound familiar? That’s because Kobe Bryant – a future Hall of Famer and one of the league’s all-time leading scorers – was also the 13th overall pick in the draft, nearly two decades earlier. At the time he was drafted, Bryant was going on 18 himself.
Like Bryant, Booker’s one hell of a scorer, too. In fact, in just his second season, Booker put on one of the best individual scoring performances in NBA history: he scored 70 points in one game. He was only 20 years old at the time of the accomplishment. Clearly, he’s already established himself as one of the league’s most dangerous offensive players.
It’s no wonder then that Booker has already made history in another way as well. His exceptional scoring abilities at such an early stage of his career have placed his name among some of the game’s greatest players. He is now part of the top-five all-time list of NBA players with the most points scored before their 21st birthday. Bryant comes in at No. 5 on this list; Booker comes in at No. 4.
Below, I have included the entire top-five list of leading scorers under 21. Look at the other names on it. Geez! Booker’s in pretty good company, guys.
No. 5 Kobe Bryant
Points Tallied Before 21st Birthday: 2,755
No. 4 Devin Booker
Points Tallied Before 21st Birthday: 2,897
No. 3 Carmelo Anthony
Points Tallied Before 21st Birthday: 3,283
No. 2 Kevin Durant
Points Tallied Before 21st Birthday: 3,495
No. 1 LeBron James
Points Tallied Before 21st Birthday: 4,649
If this list is any indication of future success, buckle up. We’re in for one hell of a ride as Booker continues to play in the NBA.
Follow Devin Booker on social media. Follow @dbook on Instagram and @DevinBook on Twitter.
Closing Note
*Booker turned 21 on October 30, 2017. At the time, the Suns were just six games into Booker’s third NBA regular season.