NBA History: 5 rookies with the most 40-point games

#4 Oscar Robertson - 9

Oscar Robertson is one of the greatest guards of all time

One of the greatest players of all time, Oscar Robertson was a territorial pick by the Cincinnati Royals, who are now called the Sacramento Kings. En route to winning the Rookie of the Year Award, Robertson averaged 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.7 assists for the season.

Leading the way for the Royals by averaging a triple-double for the season, the franchise suffered a disappointing season as they failed to qualify for the postseason and finished with a 33-46 record. The guard was the one who drew in the crowds as the franchise had been suffering for a while before his arrival.

Robertson scored 40 plus points eight times during the season including a massive performance against the Syracuse Nationals where he dropped 45 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out 13 assists en route to victory.

---

#3 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 9

The skyhook by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was an unstoppable move

The Milwaukee Bucks decided to draft Lew Alcindor, later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the number one overall pick in the 1969 NBA draft. They immediately reaped the rewards as Abdul-Jabbar would go on to be one of the greatest players of all time.

The center averaged 28.8 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in his rookie year while shooting nearly 52% from the field. He would go on to win the Rookie of the Year Award and also helped the Bucks reach the Eastern Conference Finals only to lose to the New York Knicks in five games.

Kareem had nine games that season where he dropped 40 or more points including memorable outings against the likes of Boston Celtics, Knicks, etc. One of his best games of the season came against his future employers the Los Angeles Lakers where he dropped 46 points. He went on to spend six seasons with Bucks.