NBA Players Greatest Scoring Games In China

Edmond Sumner played five seasons in the NBA. The first four were in Indiana, and the last was in Brooklyn, where he scored a career-high 29 points last year. The former Xavier standout now plays for the Sichuan Blue Whales in China, where he scored 107 points over his previous two games!

• 54 PTS, 10 REB, 7 AST, 3 STL
• 53 PTS, 9 REB, 9 AST

Most of the comments on the highlights for these games are about him scoring with a durag and headband combo. A lot of the other comments are reminders of how talented NBA players are.

"Your weekly reminder that the NBA’s “benchwarmers” and dudes you don’t know… are still better at ball than 99.999% of people on the planet."

"On the real tho, it should be studied as to why dudes can’t do this in the NBA, yet can ball out like this in China or other countries. And please don’t say anything about bad defense cause defense is played. Let’s just have a legit discussion."

奶茶香气四溢！萨姆纳54分10篮板7助攻 | 浙江132-125四川 | Edmond Sumner drops 54 PTS 10 REB 7 AST | DEC.17

Sumner: "God ain’t made a mistake yet. Going through all the trials and tribulations last year and grinding it out showed me I’m exactly who I think I am. Everything isn’t always going to be the fairytale you dream of but I’m a be grateful for every opportunity. Been enjoying every moment of this uncertain journey I’m on. But I’m all in! Let’s see where it takes me!"

IS THE NBA HARDER THAN EUROPE?

Many great international NBA players have recently made controversial comments about the differences between the NBA and Europe.

Giannis: "The game in Europe is way harder than the game in the NBA. And I don't want to disrespect [NBA]. The talent obviously in the NBA is way higher... Playing over there, it prepares me for the season. Playing with so much less space just helps me figure out things because now, when I go in an NBA game, I just feel like there's so much space for me to be able to operate in and create for my teammates and for myself."

Nikola Jokic: "Is it harder? Yeah, just because in Europe, you need to have really quick thinking. In the NBA, if you go by the guy, you can see the help coming. In Europe, if you go by the guy, the help is already there, so you need to kind of think a play ahead."

Luka Doncic also said scoring in the NBA is "100% easier" than in the EuroLeague and was surprised by how quickly he was able to become a scorer in the NBA.

From these statements from three of the best players in the world, it's clear that the EuroLeague is tough to play in. With that said, we still get the occasional "How come he didn't do that in the NBA" performance from former NBA players."

On the same night Edmond Sumner was dropping his second 50-point game, former NBA player and 2024 EuroLeague Champion Kendrick Nunn set a couple of EuroLeague records during a 39-point performance for Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens:

• Most points in a first quarter: 21
  The 21 points in a quarter tied the record set by Toney Douglas, who played for seven NBA teams in eight years.
• Most three-pointers in a single quarter: 7

Despite being undrafted, Nunn started his NBA career like gangbusters. He was the first player with 100 points in his first five games since Kevin Durant in 2007, Rookie of the Month for the first three months of the season, and finished second to Ja Morant in Rookie Of The Year voting. Then, after a decent sophomore season, an injury caused him to miss an entire season. Next thing you know, the Heat guard is on the Lakers, then the Wizards, and then out of the league after just four years. Now he's breaking records and winning championships in Europe.

IS THE NBA HARDER THAN CHINA?

Unlike Europe, you will not hear any NBA players, except Tyler "Psycho T" Hansbrough, say that basketball in Asia is as hard as in the NBA.

“The NBA game has gotten softer, no doubt about it." Said Psycho T on the Johnny Manziel podcast. "When I went to China, I felt like I was stepping into the NBA in the ’80s. It was physical. They foul you hard, and they go inside a lot more. They’re not just heaving up threes and relying on analytics the way the NBA does. Analytics hasn’t really hit China yet."

"There’s no load management or recovery time either. If you suggested that to them, they’d laugh in your face. It was a grind—two-a-days, film sessions at night after practice. It was exhausting, but it taught me a lot about toughness. In the NBA, there’s so much focus on resting players, but in China, you’re expected to show up and work."

Well, it seems like most NBA players are okay with showing up to work and giving out that work in a country where Stephon Marbury has two statues and his own museum. Here are some of the most shocking performances by Americans in Asia.

ERRICK MCCOLLUM (82)

Errick McCollum 82 Point Game in China | 2014-15 CBA | New CBA Scoring Record [HD]

One more than Kobe! On January 30, 2015, CJ McCollum's big brother, Errick, played all 48 minutes for the Zhejiang Bulls and scored a CBA record 82 points with just five three-pointers.

82 PTS (26/49 FG, 25/27 FT, 5/14 3PT), 10 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL

Unlike Kobe, McCollum's night ended with a loss to powerhouse Guangdong with Yi Jianlian and their 27-game win streak.

After averaging 37 in China, he took his talents to the EuroLeague the following year and won MVP and a Championship. He also won the first of four straight championships in THE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT (2015-2018).

A fifth consecutive championship probably would have happened, but he missed the event to get married. I was going to joke about him picking up another ring and was reminded of the joke about Jennifer Lopez having more engagement rings (6) than (name a team or player with less championship rings).

JIMMER FREDETTE (75)

Jimmer Fredette 75 Pts vs Pierre Jackson 63 Pts Full Duel Higlights (11.11.18) CRAZY! [1080p]

NCAA great Jimmer Fredette AKA The Lonely God, is a great in China. In the NBA world, Jimmer is most known as the shooter the Bucks selected at 10 in the 2011 NBA Draft instead of Klay Thompson, who was picked at 11. He also received the most hate this past summer when Serbia beat the USA 3x3 team 22-14.

On November 11, 2018, Jimmer scored a CBA-record 40 4th-quarter points for the Shangai Sharks on his way to a career-high 75 points with 8 boards and 7 assists. Despite 40 in the final quarter, his team lost to the Beijing Fly Dragons thanks to a game-winning three by Pierre Jackson, who finished with 63.

Jimmer's previous career high was 73 in a double OT game in 2017. The Sharks also lost this game, which means his teams are 0-2 when he scores 70+.

CAREER-HIGHS  

• China: 75
• NCAA: 52
• NBA Preseason: 41
• G-League: 37
• NBA: 24

JR SMITH (60)

JR SMITH 60PTS GAME IN CHINA!| JR史密斯CBA最强一战60分集锦回顾| 18.7.24

During the 2011 NBA lockout, JR Smith went to play for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in China for a record amount of $2.8 million. He wore a No. 23 jersey, had Jordans on his feet and became "The MJ of China" for 32 games by averaging 34.4 points in 36 minutes and putting up two of the craziest stat lines:

• 52 PTS, 22 REB, 11 3PT, 7 STL
• 60 PTS (14-18 3PT), 8 REB off the bench

The most shocking number from his 4-month stint in China is 80. That's how many practices he reportedly missed. Between the skipped practices and other "mishaps," the team withheld a million dollars of his salary.

QUINCY DOUBY (75)

Quincy Douby Scored A League-Record 75 Points In China | NBA 2012-13 Season Jan 5, 2013

Looking at the resume of former Sacramento Kings 1st-round pick made me say, "Who and where is that?!" about five times.

Darüşşafaka & Doğuş?

Tianjin Ronggang?

Darüşşafaka Cooper Tires?

Afyonkarahisar Belediyespor?

But in 2013, he played for a team I am familiar with (Zhejiang Golden Bulls) and scored a then-CBA record 75 points -- 15 times his highest scoring season average in the NBA. The 75 also came in just 35 minutes against Shanxi with Charles Gaines, who had 60 in the loss. The reason why he only played 35 is because the CBA had this stupid rule that said a team can only play two foreigners for a combined six quarters.

The Rutgers standout also had the CBA records for points in an All-Star Game (44) and points in a Finals game (53)

JARED CUNNINGHAM (74)

Jarred Cunningham 74 Points | CBA China

Cunningham scored 197 points on six different NBA teams between 2012 and 2016. Also, in 2016, he scored 74 points in a single game for the Jiangsu Tongxi in China. Like most top-scoring games in the league history, the points came in a loss. This case was a 19-point loss to J.J. Hickson's Fujian Sturgeons.

74 PTS (22/38 FG, 7/14 3PT, 23/29 FT), 4 REB, 2 AST

An interesting thing about the number 74 is Cunningham was ranked the 74th best player in high school and wore the No. 74 in the 2015 NBA Summer League.

JOE YOUNG (74)

Joseph Young 74 POINTS 8 STLS Nanjing Monkey Kings vs Shandong Heroes Golden Stars | 36.3 PPG CBA

Joey Buckets averaged 3.4 points during his 3-year stint in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers. These are his best games in the CBA with the Nanjing Monkey King:

• 74 PTS (27-50 FG)
• 60 PTS
• 60 PTS
• 55 PTS
• 51 PTS, 11 AST, 9 REB

It's no surprise that he ended up leading the league in scoring in 2020, and it's also no surprise that his team also lost the game when he scored a career-high 74.

JORDAN CRAWFORD (72)

Jordan Crawford | 72 Points 16 Rebounds | China CBA 2015-16 | Full Highlight Video

You might remember Jordan as the guy who dunked on LeBron but couldn't celebrate the footage because Nike confiscated it all. I asked Crawford about this earlier this year during the BIG3 tour, and he said he still wants his $500 plus interest. According to him, Nike was joking about giving $500 to anyone who could dunk on LeBron that day.

Crawford had some productive years in the NBA, averaging 13+ points for three different franchises: Wizards, Celtics, and Pelicans. His career-high of 41 came off the Warriors' bench during the season's final regular season game. Surprisingly, this was Crawford's final season in the league for three years.

During his NBA hiatus, he went to China, where he scored 72 points for the Tianjin Ronggang Gold Lions in a (you guessed it) loss against the Sichuan Blue Whales.

72 PTS (25/52 FG, 4/12 3PT, 18/20 FT), 16 REB (season-high), 5 STL

QUINN COOK (54)

Former Warriors Champion Quinn Cook Is On Fire In China! 54Pts, 12/15 From Downtown! | CBA GUANGSHA

A year after winning an NBA Championship with JR Smith and the Lakers in 2021, Cook found himself cooking in China. And on December 14, 2022, Cook came off the bench for the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions and scored 54 points (18-24 FG, 12-15 3PT) in 28 minutes. He was released less than a month later.

PIERRE JACKSON (67)

Pierre Jackson 67 Points in the CBA

As mentioned, he had 63 points (20-35 FG, 13-22 3PT) and the game-winning three-pointer during Jimmer's 75-point night. But the 5'11 guard that I used to call "The KD of the D-League (now G-League)" has scored more points in a game.

On October 25, 2018, the Beijing Dragon scored 67 points (18/26 FG) with 10 assists, 8 boards and just 2 turnovers.

BONUS: DWIGHT HOWARD

I know this wasn't in China, but what Howard did during his time in Taiwan has to be mentioned when discussing former NBA players playing in Asia. In his 2022 debut, he attempted 10 threes and finished with 38 points (14-32 FG), 25 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 blocks, and 2 threes. He had 23 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds as an encore and even competed in the league's three-point contest.

As expected, the President of the Howard Hater Club, Shaquille O'Neal, wasn't impressed: “He's supposed to have 30 PTS playing against a dude 5'8". This league reminds me of the Lifetime Fitness league.”

Dwight Howard Recruiting NBA Players to Taiwan 💀 #shorts