LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time scoring champion, has reached a new milestone.
James became the first player in NBA history to reach 40,000 career points. In Saturday night’s 124-114 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena, the Los Angeles Lakers All-Star officially cleared the boundary.
James entered the contest with 39,991 career points after scoring 31 points in the team’s triumph over the Washington Wizards on Thursday. He made his first basket on Saturday, a fast break layup midway through the first quarter, then backed it up with a 3-pointer only minutes later. James then started the second quarter with a layup through two Nuggets players.
Then, two plays later, James scored another layup after driving past Michael Porter Jr. to reach 40,000 career points.
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James passed the mark a little more than a year after setting the NBA’s all-time scoring record. On February 8, last season, James scored his 38,388th point, passing former scoring champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the scoring column. Since then, he has continually increased his total, placing the record even more out of reach for future rivals.
“I can’t sit here and say no, of course. “No one has ever done it,” James remarked when asked if he was concerned about the 40,000-point threshold on Thursday night. “And I think it’s pretty fantastic that I’m in this position and at this stage in my career. Is it at the top of my list of career accomplishments? No. But does it signify anything? Of course. Absolutely. “Why wouldn’t it?”
James, 39, is still one of the NBA’s leading scorers in his 20th season. He entered Saturday ranked 15th in scoring this season, averaging 25.3 points per game. Since averaging 20.9 points per game as a rookie in 2003-04, James has averaged at least 25 points in each of the last 19 NBA seasons. He was the league’s scoring champion in 2007-08, averaging 30 points a game, and has exceeded that mark twice in his career.
LeBron James’ headshot
LeBron James will play for the San Francisco-Los Angeles Lakers from 2023-2024 season.
25.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 0.6 blocks, 35:02 min.
Just two games earlier, James scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers overcome a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit and win 116-112 over the Los Angeles Clippers. He led all scorers in the contest with 34 points. On Saturday, James ended with a team-high 26 points and nine assists, shooting 12-of-20 from the floor.
As long as he stays healthy, James expects to steadily increase his score this season. The Lakers are competing for a playoff spot as the 10th team in the Western Conference standings, and they will continue to rely heavily on James during the season’s final stretch. It remains to be seen whether he can maintain them in the playoff race, let alone bring them back into contention to escape the play-in round.LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time scoring champion, has reached a new milestone.
James became the first player in NBA history to reach 40,000 career points. In Saturday night’s 124-114 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena, the Los Angeles Lakers All-Star officially cleared the boundary.
James entered the contest with 39,991 career points after scoring 31 points in the team’s triumph over the Washington Wizards on Thursday. He made his first basket on Saturday, a fast break layup midway through the first quarter, then backed it up with a 3-pointer only minutes later. James then started the second quarter with a layup through two Nuggets players.
Then, two plays later, James scored another layup after driving past Michael Porter Jr. to reach 40,000 career points.
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James passed the mark a little more than a year after setting the NBA’s all-time scoring record. On February 8, last season, James scored his 38,388th point, passing former scoring champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the scoring column. Since then, he has continually increased his total, placing the record even more out of reach for future rivals.
“I can’t sit here and say no, of course. “No one has ever done it,” James remarked when asked if he was concerned about the 40,000-point threshold on Thursday night. “And I think it’s pretty fantastic that I’m in this position and at this stage in my career. Is it at the top of my list of career accomplishments? No. But does it signify anything? Of course. Absolutely. “Why wouldn’t it?”
James, 39, is still one of the NBA’s leading scorers in his 20th season. He entered Saturday ranked 15th in scoring this season, averaging 25.3 points per game. Since averaging 20.9 points per game as a rookie in 2003-04, James has averaged at least 25 points in each of the last 19 NBA seasons. He was the league’s scoring champion in 2007-08, averaging 30 points a game, and has exceeded that mark twice in his career.
LeBron James’ headshot
LeBron James will play for the San Francisco-Los Angeles Lakers from 2023-2024 season.
25.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 0.6 blocks, 35:02 min.
Just two games earlier, James scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers overcome a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit and win 116-112 over the Los Angeles Clippers. He led all scorers in the contest with 34 points. On Saturday, James ended with a team-high 26 points and nine assists, shooting 12-of-20 from the floor.
As long as he stays healthy, James expects to steadily increase his score this season. The Lakers are competing for a playoff spot as the 10th team in the Western Conference standings, and they will continue to rely heavily on James during the season’s final stretch. It remains to be seen whether he can maintain them in the playoff race, let alone bring them back into contention to escape the play-in round.