On Saturday night, in the Lakers’ game against the Nuggets, LeBron James scored his 40,000th point.
LeBron James, the all-time NBA scoring champion, has accomplished a new feat.
James has now become the first player to reach 40,000 points in his NBA career. In their 124-114 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night, the Los Angeles Lakers All-Star officially crossed the threshold.
James scored 31 points in their victory over the Washington Wizards on Thursday, bringing his career total of points to 39,991 going into the game. Midway through the first quarter on Saturday, he scored his first basket on a fast break layup, and a few minutes later, he made his first three-pointer. James then made a basket through two Nuggets players to start the second quarter.
James then hit another layup two plays later, this time after driving past Michael Porter Jr. to reach 40,000 career points.
A little over a year after breaking the NBA’s all-time scoring record, James crossed the threshold. In order to surpass former scoring champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James earned his 38,388th point on February 8 of the previous season. Since then, he has continued to add to his total, further pushing the record beyond the grasp of any potential competitors.
“Obviously, I can’t just sit here and say no. When asked whether he cared about reaching the 40,000-point milestone on Thursday night, James responded, “No one has ever done it.” And I think it’s quite fantastic that I’m in this position and at this point in my career. Is that the most important thing I have ever done in my career? No. Does it, however, have any significance? Naturally. Indeed. How come it wouldn’t?”
In his 21st NBA season, James, 39, is still among the top scorers in the league. With 25.3 points per game going into Saturday, he was 15th in the league in scoring this season. James has averaged at least 25 points per game in each of the 20 NBA seasons since he debuted in 2003–04 with an average of 20.9 points per game. In 2007–08, he led the league in scoring with 30 points per game, and throughout his career, he has scored more than 30 points twice.
James led the Lakers to a 116–112 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers just two games ago by scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter, overcoming a 21–point deficit. With 34 points, he was the game’s top scorer. James shot 12-of-20 from the field to complete the game on Saturday with a team-high 26 points and nine assists.
James expects to continue adding to his total this season as long as he stays healthy. The Lakers, who are now ranked 10th in the Western Conference, are vying for a postseason berth and will largely rely on James going forward. It remains to be seen if he can maintain them in the playoff race or even get them back into the running to avoid having to go to the play-in round.
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