Best Field-Goal Percentages in NBA History

Putting the ball in the basket is the name of the game. And nobody did it better than these players.

The most fundamental element of basketball is the shot, and the closer to the basket you shoot, the better your chance of the ball going in.

That’s why the list of the best career field-goal percentages in NBA history is dotted with some of basketball’s greatest big men.

These are the players with the highest field-goal percentages in NBA history.

30. Domantas Sabonis

Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis

Godofredo A. Vásquez / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 54.8

Years: 8 seasons (2016-present)

Teams: Oklahoma City Thunder (2016-17), Indiana Pacers (2017-22), Sacramento Kings (2022-present)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 7-foot, 240 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: Domanta Sabonis seems to have found the perfect home with the Sacramento Kings, where he made his third NBA All-Star Team and helped the franchise snap a 16-year postseason drought in his first year with the team in 2022-23.

Note: Minimum 200 career games and 2,000 career field-goal attempts. All stats updated through the end of the 2022-23 regular season.

29. Buck Williams

Buck Williams led the NBA in field-goal percentage in 1991 and 1992. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 54.9

Years: 17 seasons (1981-98)

Teams: New Jersey Nets (1981-89), Portland Trail Blazers (1989-96), New York Knicks (1996-98)

Position: Power forward

Height/weight: 6-foot-8, 215 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: Buck Williams was one of the great lunchpail post players in the NBA throughout most of the 1980s and early 1990s, and is most well known for his time with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Williams helped lead Portland to a pair of NBA Finals in that stretch and led the NBA in field-goal percentage in 1991 and 1992.

28. Bobby Jones

Bobby Jones, center, is considered one of the greatest teammates in NBA history. CEH / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 55.0

Years: 12 seasons (1974-86)

Teams: Denver Nuggets (1974-78), Philadelphia 76ers (1978-86)

Position: Power forward

Height/weight: 6-foot-9. 210 pounds

NBA titles: 1 (1983)

Bottom line: Bobby Jones was one of the most selfless, hardworking players in NBA history. He made nine NBA All-Defensive teams plus two more in the ABA.

Jones’ value to his teams is best looked at through a postseason prism, as he never played on a team that didn’t make the playoffs and won an NBA championship with the 76ers in 1983.

27. John Collins

Brynn Anderson / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 55.0

Years: 7 seasons (2017-present)

Teams: Atlanta Hawks (2017-23), Utah Jazz (2023-present)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 6-foot-9, 226 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: John Collins has seen his numbers steadily drop since signing a five-year, $125 million contract with the Atlanta Hawks before the 2021-22 season. He was finally traded to the Utah Jazz in 2023 where he’ll get a chance to be featured on a roster full of talented young players.

26. Marcin Gortat

Marcin Gortat spent his prime as Dwight Howard’s backup. Jae C. Hong / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 55.1

Years: 12 seasons (2007-19)

Teams: Orlando Magic (2007-10), Phoenix Suns (2010-13), Washington Wizards (2013-18), Los Angeles Clippers (2018-19)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 6-foot-11, 240 pounds

Other stats: 9.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: Marcin Gortat was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in 2005 but didn’t make his NBA debut until two years later after his rights were traded to the Orlando Magic.

Unfortunately for Gortat, many of his prime years in the NBA were spent as Dwight Howard’s backup, so we never got a real idea of what the Polish center’s ceiling might have been.

25. Nikola Jokic

Lynne Sladky / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 55.31

Years: 9 seasons (2015-present)

Teams: Denver Nuggets (2015-present)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 6-foot-11, 284 pounds

NBA titles: 1 (2023)

Bottom line: Every basketball fan in the world knows Nikola Jokic’s name after the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player led the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA championship in 2023. He’s now widely considered one of the game’s all-time great centers.

24. Bam Adebayo

Jack Dempsey / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 55.36

Years: 7 seasons (2017-present)

Teams: Miami Heat (2017-present)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 6-foot-9, 255 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: Bam Adebayo has become one of the NBA’s great young big men over the last few seasons and has helped the Miami Heat earn a spot in the NBA Finals twice in the last four seasons. Adebayo is a rebounding and accurate-shooting machine — he averaged a career-high 20.4 points to go with 9.2 rebounds in 2022-23.

23. Kevin McHale

Kevin McHale had one of the greatest post games in NBA history. Mike Kullen / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 55.3

Years: 13 seasons (1980-93)

Teams: Boston Celtics

Position: Power forward

Height/weight: 6-foot-11, 210 pounds

Other stats: 17.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists

NBA titles: 3 (1981, 1984, 1986)

Bottom line: Few players in NBA history, if any, can compare to the offensive skillset Kevin McHale had in the post — something almost completely lost over the last decade in the league.

McHale’s moves around the basket were so varied and efficient that opponents called it being in the “Torture Chamber” when he was in the zone, which was almost always.

22. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA’s career leading scorer. Reed Saxon / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 55.9

Years: 20 seasons (1969-89)

Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (1969-75), Los Angeles Lakers (1975-89)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 7-foot-2, 225 pounds

Other stats: 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists

NBA titles: 6 (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)

Bottom line: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA career scoring leader and one of the two or three greatest basketball players of all time.

He was a six-time NBA MVP, six-time NBA champion and made the All-Star team 19 times.

His signature shot, the skyhook, was impossible to defend.

21. Jonas Valanciunas

Jonas Valanciunas started playing pro basketball in Lithuania when he was 17 years old. Mark J. Terrill / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 56.1

Years: 12 seasons (2012-present)

Teams: Toronto Raptors (2012-19), Memphis Grizzlies (2019-21), New Orleans Pelicans (2021-present)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 6-foot-11, 265 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: Jonas Valanciunas began playing basketball professionally in Lithuania when he was 17 years old.

He was picked No. 5 overall in the 2011 NBA draft — most notably selected ahead of likely future Hall of Famers Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler in the first round.

He joined the Toronto Raptors until 2012 and has averaged 25.3 minutes per game in his career.

20. Jeff Ruland

Jeff Ruland took a five-year break from the NBA before returning to the court. William Smith / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 56.4

Years: 8 seasons (1981-87, 1992-93)

Teams: Washington Bullets (1981-86), Philadelphia 76ers (1986-87, 1991-92), Detroit Pistons (1992-93)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 6-foot-11, 240 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: Jeff Ruland’s career numbers are pretty remarkable — he averaged a double-double with 17.4 points and 10.0 rebounds.

What’s more remarkable is the long break he took after foot injuries derailed his career in 1987.

Ruland was away from basketball for five years before returning for two seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers.

19. Bo Outlaw

Bo Outlaw couldn’t be trusted to shoot the ball more than five feet from the basket. Kevin Kolczynski / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 56.7

Years: 13 seasons (1994-2007)

Teams: Los Angeles Clippers (1994-97), Orlando Magic (1997-2002, 2005-07), Phoenix Suns (2002-03, 2004-05), Memphis Grizzlies (2003-04)

Position: Power forward

Height/weight: 6-foot-8, 220 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: Bo Outlaw makes this list almost out of sheer longevity alone. His career average of 5.4 points is all the evidence you need to know he wasn’t on the court because of his offense.

Outlaw didn’t take many shots, and he was truly horrendous shooting the ball anywhere except a few feet from the basket.

He was a career 52.1 percent free-throw shooter, one of the few players who had a higher field-goal percentage than free-throw percentage.

18. Amir Johnson

Amir Johnson was the last direct-from-high school player taken in the NBA draft in 2005. Matt Slocum / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 56.9

Years: 14 seasons (2005-19)

Teams: Detroit Pistons (2005-09), Toronto Raptors (2009-15), Boston Celtics (2015-17), Philadelphia 76ers (2017-19)

Position: Power forward

Height/weight: 6-foot-9, 240 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: Amir Johnson was the last direct-from-high school player to be selected in the NBA draft when the Pistons picked him in the second round in 2005.

Johnson cracked Detroit’s rotation in his third season and spent the next game as a more-than-serviceable role player for several teams, averaging career highs of 28 minutes, 10.0 points and 7.5 rebounds with the Raptors in the 2014-15 campaign.

17. James Donaldson

James Donaldson made his lone All-Star team in 1988. Eric Gay / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 57.1

Years: 14 seasons (1980-93, 1995)

Teams: Seattle SuperSonics (1980-83), San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers (1983-85), Dallas Mavericks (1985-91), New York Knicks (1991-92), Utah Jazz (1993, 1995)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 7-foot-2, 225 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: James Donaldson had one of the top 10 greatest single-season NBA field-goal percentages in 1984-85 when he led the league by shooting 63.7 percent from the field.

The only problem was he played for the lowly Los Angeles Clippers, but he got a reprieve when he was traded to the Mavericks in 1985 and made his only All-Star appearance in 1988.

16. Darryl Dawkins

Darryl Dawkins may have been the fiercest dunker in NBA history. AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 57.20

Years: 14 seasons (1975-89)

Teams: Philadelphia 76ers (1975-82), New Jersey Nets (1982-87), Utah Jazz (1987), Detroit Pistons (1987-89)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 6-foot-11, 255 pounds

NBA titles: 1 (1989)

Bottom line: Darryl Dawkins was a master of the most high-percentage shot in basketball history — the dunk.

He famously shattered two backboards on dunks within just three weeks of each other in 1979 and was continually one of the league’s leaders in field-goal percentage throughout his 14 seasons.

Dawkins won his lone NBA title in his final season, 1989, as a bench player for the Detroit Pistons.

15. Steve Johnson

Steve Johnson was the last player in the NBA to suit up for the Kansas City Kings. Doug Atkins / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 57.22

Years: 10 seasons (1981-91)

Teams: Kansas City Kings (1981-84), Chicago Bulls (1984-85), San Antonio Spurs (1985-86), Portland Trail Blazers (1986-89), Minnesota Timberwolves (1989-90), Seattle SuperSonics (1990), Golden State Warriors (1990-91)

Position: Power forward/center

Height/weight: 6-foot-10, 235 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: Steve Johnson was naturally a power forward but ended up forced into duty at center multiple times in his career.

His career took a journeyman turn when he was traded away from the Chicago Bulls after Michael Jordan’s rookie year to play for the Trail Blazers as part of a dynamo frontcourt alongside center Sam Bowie.

14. JaVale McGee

JaVale McGee has won three NBA titles since 2017. Mark J. Terrill / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 57.7

Years: 15 seasons (2008-present)

Teams: Washington Wizards (2008-12), Denver Nuggets (2012-15), Philadelphia 76ers (2015), Dallas Mavericks (2015-16, 2022-present), Golden State Warriors (2016-18), Los Angeles Lakers (2018-20), Cleveland Cavaliers (2020-21), Denver Nuggets (2021), Phoenix Suns (2021-22)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 7-foot, 270 pounds

NBA titles: 3 (2017, 2018, 2020)

Bottom line: JaVale McGee was picked in the first round of the 2008 NBA draft but bounced around between four different teams through his first eight seasons.

McGee finally found his footing with the Warriors, where he was on back-to-back NBA championship teams before signing with the Lakers and winning another title in 2020.

13. Mark West

Mark West’s best seasons came with the Phoenix Suns in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Bob Galbraith / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 58.0

Years: 17 seasons (1983-2000)

Teams: Dallas Mavericks (1983-84), Milwaukee Bucks (1984), Cleveland Cavaliers (1984-88, 1996-97), Phoenix Suns (1988-94, 1999-2000), Detroit Pistons (1994-96), Indiana Pacers (1997-98), Atlanta Hawks (1999)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 6-foot-10, 230 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: Mark West’s best years came on some great Phoenix Suns teams in the early 1990s, most noticeably on the 1993 Western Conference championship team that lost to the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals.

West led the NBA in field-goal percentage in 1989-90 when he shot 62.5 percent.

He also shot over 60 percent from the field in five straight seasons from 1988 to 1993.

12. Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille O’Neal set the NBA record by leading the league in field-goal percentage 10 times. Kevork Djansezian / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 58.2

Years: 19 seasons (1992-2011)

Teams: Orlando Magic (1992-96), Los Angeles Lakers (1996-2004), Miami Heat (2004-08), Phoenix Suns (2008-09), Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-10), Boston Celtics (2010-11)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 7-foot-1, 325 pounds

NBA titles: 4 (2000-02, 2006)

Bottom line: One of the most dominant players in NBA history, Shaquille O’Neal dunked at as frequent a rate as almost any player in NBA history.

O’Neal had over 200 dunks in seven straight seasons from 1999 to 2006 — a stretch that included four NBA titles on two different teams and his lone NBA MVP award in 2000.

Shaq’s 10 seasons leading the league in field-goal percentage is an NBA record.

11. Hassan Whiteside

Hassan Whiteside made the most of his second chance in the NBA. Ashley Landis / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 58.6

Years: 10 seasons (2010-12, 2014-22)

Teams: Sacramento Kings (2010-12, 2020-21), Miami Heat (2014-19), Portland Trail Blazers (2019-20), Utah Jazz (2021-22)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 7-foot, 265 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: Hassan Whiteside flamed out in his first NBA go-round with the Sacramento Kings, but played his way back into the league thanks to two solid seasons overseas.

After his return, Whiteside was a dominant post player during the regular season.He’s led the league in blocks twice, rebounds once and averaged over 60 percent from the field three times.

10. Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard won his first NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. Mark J. Terrill / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 58.6

Years: 18 seasons (2004-22)

Teams: Orlando Magic (2004-12), Los Angeles Lakers (2012-13, 2019-20, 2021-22), Houston Rockets (2013-16), Atlanta Hawks (2016-17), Charlotte Hornets (2017-18), Washington Wizards (2018-19), Philadelphia 76ers (2020-21)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 6-foot-10, 265 pounds

NBA titles: 1 (2020)

Bottom line: Dwight Howard is one of the most dominant big men of his generation, if not NBA history. He’s also one of the most polarizing players in league history.

Howard won an NBA title as a role player with the Lakers in 2020, but that hardly makes up for the decade he spent alienating teammates, coaches and fans after he left the Magic in 2012.

9. Steven Adams

Steven Adams was the first New Zealand native picked in the first round of the NBA draft. Kim Klement / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 58.7

Years: 11 seasons (2013-present)

Teams: Oklahoma City Thunder (2013-20), New Orleans Pelicans (2020-21), Memphis Grizzlies (2021-present)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 6-foot-11, 265 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: Steven Adams became the first New Zealand native selected in the first round of the NBA draft in 2013 after one season at the University of Pittsburgh.

Adams averaged a career-high 13.9 points and shot a career-high 62.1 percent from the field in 2017-18, the same season he signed a four-year, $100 million contract with Oklahoma City. After spending one season with the New Orleans Pelicans he’s been a mainstay in the Memphis Grizzlies’ frontcourt the last two years.

8. Mason Plumlee

Los Angeles Clippers center Mason Plumlee

Ashley Landis / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 59.5

Years: 11 seasons (2013-present)

Teams: Brooklyn Nets (2013-15), Portland Trail Blazers (2017-20), Denver Nuggets (2020-21), Detroit Pistons (2021-23), Charlotte Hornets (2023), Los Angeles Clippers (2023-present)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 7-foot, 254 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: Mason Plumlee has been a steady but not spectacular presence on six different teams over 11 NBA seasons and was averaging a career-high 12.2 points when the Charlotte Hornets traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers toward the end of the 2022-23 regular season.

7. Tyson Chandler

Tyson Chandler was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft. Mary Altaffer / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 59.6

Years: 19 seasons (2001-20)

Teams: Chicago Bulls (2001-06), New Orleans Hornets (2006-09), Charlotte Bobcats (2009-10), Dallas Mavericks (2010-11, 2014-15), New York Knicks (2011-14), Phoenix Suns (2015-18), Los Angeles Lakers (2018-19), Houston Rockets (2019-20)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 7-foot, 235 pounds

NBA titles: 1 (2011)

Bottom line: Tyson Chandler, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, is one of many players with a high field-goal percentage who have made their mark more on the defensive end.

Chandler at least has an NBA title to show for it. He was a key part of the Dallas Mavericks’ stunning upset of the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.

6. DeAndre Ayton

David Zalubowski / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 59.6

Years: 6 seasons (2018-present)

Teams: Phoenix Suns (2018-present)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 7-foot, 250 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: Few players in recent NBA history have caused so much frustration for their franchise in terms of unfulfilled potential than 2018 No. 1 overall pick DeaAndre Ayton has caused for the Phoenix Suns. Ayton refused to speak with head coach Monty Wiliams for an entire offseason and famously pouted his way out of the arena after being benched by Williams in the 2023 playoffs. Fun times!

5. Artis Gilmore

Artis Gilmore isn’t in the discussion of greatest centers of all time nearly enough. AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 59.9

Years: 12 seasons (1976-88)

Teams: Chicago Bulls (1976-82, 1987), San Antonio Spurs (1982-87), Boston Celtics (1988)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 7-foot-2, 240 pounds

Other stats: 18.8 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: NBA fans weren’t able to enjoy the prime of Artis Gilmore’s career. He spent his first five seasons in the ABA with the Kentucky Colonels and was the ABA MVP in 1972 and won the ABA title in 1975.

Gilmore still did well in the NBA. He was a six-time All-Star, led the league in field-goal percentage four times and retired as the career leader in field-goal percentage.

He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.

4. Montrezl Harrell

Philadelphia 76ers center Montrezl Harrell

Alex Slitz / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 61.8

Years: 8 seasons (2015-23)

Teams: Houston Rockets (2015-17), Los Angeles Clippers (2017-20), Los Angeles Lakers (2020-21), Washington Wizards (2021-22), Charlotte Hornets (2022), Philadelphia 76ers (2022-23)

Position: Power forward/Center

Height/weight: 6-foot-7, 240 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: Montrezl Harrell’s career was at its highest point when he was named Sixth Man of the Year with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020 but has flatlined since — he spent the next four seasons playing for four different teams.

3. Clint Capela

Charles Krupa / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 62.7

Years: 10 seasons (2014-present)

Teams: Houston Rockets (2014-20), Atlanta Hawks (2020-present)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 6-foot-10, 256 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: Clint Capela has been a rebounding machine since joining the NBA — he led the league in rebounding in 2021 and averages 12.2 rebounds per game for his career.

When Capela’s current contract with the Atlanta Hawks runs out following the 2024-25 season he will have hit $130.4 million in career earnings, making him the highest-paid Swiss athlete in team sports history.

2. Rudy Gobert

Rudy Gobert hasn’t been the greatest teammate. Ashley Landis / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 65.4

Years: 11 seasons (2013-present)

Teams: Utah Jazz 2013-22), Minnesota Timberwolves (2022-present)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 7-foot-1, 260 pounds

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: For good reason, Rudy Gobert’s career has been mostly defined by his defensive abilities. He’s a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Other than that, it’s been pretty bad on and off the court. He was traded from the Utah Jazz to the Minnesota Timberwolves before the 2022-23 season in what should go down as one of the most lopsided deals in NBA history in favor of the Jazz.

1. DeAndre Jordan

DeAndre Jordan has led the NBA in field-goal percentage five times through 2020. Frank Franklin II / AP Photo

Career FG percentage: 67.5

Years: 16 seasons (2008-present)

Teams: Los Angeles Clippers (2008-18), Dallas Mavericks (2018-19), New York Knicks (2019), Brooklyn Nets (2019-21), Los Angeles Lakers (2021-22), Philadelphia 76ers (2022), Denver Nuggets (2022-present)

Position: Center

Height/weight: 6-foot-11, 265 pounds

NBA titles: 1 (2023)

Bottom line: DeAndre Jordan has five NBA field-goal percentage titles. That puts him at No. 3 on the league’s career list, behind only Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain.

Jordan’s rise to the top of the NBA career leader board for field-goal percentage is pretty easy to unravel. The three-time All-NBA pick has led the league in offensive rebounds six times. Even with all that, his greatest moment in the NBA came in his 15th season, when he won an NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets.