Few NBA feats compare to the 50-point game, which in many ways is comparable to the no-hitter in Major League Baseball given its relative rarity, randomness, and necessary talent. In recent years, the number of 50-point games has dramatically increased as scoring around the league has too.
Much of that can be attributed to an increase in 3-point shooting and pace, allowing the game's best players to put up points in a hurry. While that has led to plenty of 50-point games, that doesn't change the fact that many all-time greats have never achieved that feat.
That doesn't take away from the legacy, though it does show how far the game has come. With that in mind, let's take a look at the 21 greatest NBA players to never score 50 points in a game.
21) Sleepy Floyd
Sleepy Floyd might not be a household name, unlike many of the players on this list, but he was known for his explosive scoring during his prime. In fact, he holds the record for most points in a quarter and in a half in a playoff game with 29 and 39, respectively.
While he would go on to score 51 against the Los Angeles Lakers in that game, he is one of only a handful of players to do so in the playoffs but never in the regular season. Despite that, he did come close. During the 199–91 season, he dropped 40 points in just 24 minutes and surely would have gone for 50, or possibly even 60.
Perhaps only scoring 50 points in the playoffs is better. This is considering that his scoring outburst has stood for nearly three decades and the list of players who have ever accomplished scoring 50 in a postseason game is much smaller. Floyd may primarily be remembered for his playoff records but they may stand for some time and it goes to show just how talented of a scorer he was.