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NBA Career Steals Records
John Stockton is the NBA's all-time career steals
leader with 3,265. Stockton holds a commanding lead
over Chris Paul, who ranks second with 2,728, and
Jason Kidd, who ranks third with 2,684.
The list below includes NBA regular-season statistics only. Steals
became an official NBA statistic beginning with the
1973-74 season, meaning players from earlier eras do
not have complete official career steal totals.
NBA All-Time Career Steals Leaders
| Rank |
Player |
Steals |
| 1 |
John Stockton |
3,265 |
| 2 |
Chris Paul |
2,728 |
| 3 |
Jason Kidd |
2,684 |
| 4 |
Michael Jordan |
2,514 |
| 5 |
Gary Payton |
2,445 |
| 6 |
LeBron James |
2,417 |
| 7 |
Maurice Cheeks |
2,310 |
| 8 |
Scottie Pippen |
2,307 |
| 9 |
Clyde Drexler |
2,207 |
| 10 |
Hakeem Olajuwon |
2,162 |
| 11 |
Alvin Robertson |
2,112 |
| 12 |
Karl Malone |
2,085 |
| 13 |
Mookie Blaylock |
2,075 |
| 14 |
Russell Westbrook |
2,038 |
| 15 |
Allen Iverson |
1,983 |
| 16 |
Derek Harper |
1,957 |
| 17 |
Kobe Bryant |
1,944 |
| 18 |
Isiah Thomas |
1,861 |
| 19 |
Kevin Garnett |
1,859 |
| 20 |
James Harden |
1,794 |
| 21 |
Andre Iguodala |
1,765 |
| 22 |
Shawn Marion |
1,759 |
| 23 |
Paul Pierce |
1,752 |
| 24 |
Magic Johnson |
1,724 |
| 25 |
Metta World Peace |
1,721 |
| 26 |
Ron Harper |
1,716 |
| 27 |
Fat Lever |
1,666 |
| 28 |
Charles Barkley |
1,648 |
| 29 |
Mike Conley |
1,638 |
| 29 |
Gus Williams |
1,638 |
NBA Steals Records
| Record |
Player |
Total |
Details |
| Career Steals |
John Stockton |
3,265 |
1984-85 through 2002-03 |
| Single-Season Steals |
Alvin Robertson |
301 |
1985-86, San Antonio Spurs |
| Single-Game Steals |
Larry Kenon |
11 |
December 26, 1976 |
| Single-Game Steals |
Kendall Gill |
11 |
April 3, 1999 |
NBA Steals Facts
-
John Stockton holds the NBA career record with
3,265 steals. He is also the NBA's all-time leader in assists.
-
Chris Paul finished his career with 2,728 steals,
moving past Jason Kidd for second place on the all-time list.
-
Michael Jordan ranks fourth with 2,514 steals and is
the highest-ranking shooting guard on the career list.
-
LeBron James has climbed to sixth in NBA history with
2,417 career steals.
-
Hakeem Olajuwon is the only center among the top 10
career steals leaders, finishing with 2,162.
-
Russell Westbrook surpassed 2,000 career steals and
finished the 2025-26 season with 2,038.
-
James Harden has also moved into the top 20, reaching
1,794 career steals through the end of 2025-26.
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Alvin Robertson owns the NBA single-season record with
301 steals for the San Antonio Spurs in 1985-86.
-
Larry Kenon and Kendall Gill share
the NBA single-game record with 11 steals.
Why Steals Records Begin in 1973-74
Steals were not an official NBA statistic until the
1973-74 season. As a result, the career leaderboard
cannot accurately compare modern players with stars from earlier eras
such as Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson and Jerry West.
Those players certainly recorded steals during their careers, but the
NBA did not officially record them on an individual basis. Career
steals rankings therefore include only official statistics recorded
since 1973-74.
2025-26 NBA Steals Leader
Cason Wallace of the Oklahoma City Thunder led the NBA
with 150 steals during the 2025-26 regular season.
The previous season, Atlanta Hawks guard
Dyson Daniels recorded 229 steals in 2024-25, one of
the highest single-season totals of the modern era.
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