LeBron James further solidified his place in the NBA record books by surpassing 40,000 career points in Saturday night's home game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets.
James, who has held the professional basketball league's career scoring record since last year, was within nine points going into the game. A layup in the second quarter brought James to 40,000 points, and he surpassed the mark with another layup.
LA fans jumped to their feet when James reached his historic numbers. During a subsequent timeout, a brief ceremony was held during which a video was played commemorating some of James' on-court accomplishments.
However, James' presence in the hardwood forest on Saturday night was far from certain.
On Friday, the NBA echoed a report from LakersNation.com that the Lakers listed James as questionable for the game against the Nuggets due to soreness and swelling in his left ankle. But James is known for playing and playing well, regardless of how he appears on the list.
Lakers fans rejoiced at James' even higher points, but his playing time with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat in his home state contributed to his career totals.
James' best performance comes at a time when he is approaching another milestone, his 40th birthday, later this year, the retirement age for almost all professional athletes.
In February, James became the first NBA player to start 20 All-Star Games this year as a Western captain. He scored eight points in a self-limited 14 minutes of play as the East team won 211-186.
“The most important thing to me is definitely my health,” James said at the time.
He's played more games than any other NBA player, past or present, and if he's expected to return next season, he'll be playing in more games than any other NBA player, past or present, and if he's expected to return next season, he'll be playing 22 games in most seasons for eight-time All-Star and retired Toronto Raptors guard-forward Vince Carter. It will be comparable.
But despite his many accomplishments, he still has professional goals.
James has said he wants to play in the NBA with his sons, Bronny, a freshman combo guard at the University of Southern California, and Bryce, a shooting guard and sophomore at Sierra Canyon School.
On February 7, 2023, James scored his 38,388th point in a home game against the Oklahoma Thunder, surpassing former Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 38,387 points. This achievement made him the all-time leading scorer.
After the Lakers' 134-131 overtime victory over the Washington Wizards on Thursday, James suggested that reaching 40,000 hits was a metaphorical descendant of his career, albeit a precious one. It's not that important compared to his son Abdul-Jabbar's overall performance.
“No one has ever done it before,” he said in Thursday's postgame press conference of reaching 40,000 career points. “I think it's great to be in this position at this point in my career. Is it the culmination of everything I've accomplished in my career? No, does it mean anything? Is there? Of course. Of course. Why not?”
There is no guarantee that he will remain the league's all-time scoring leader.
Among today's top 10 career scorers, only one other active player — Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns — had scored 38,113 points through Friday, and at age 35 still has plenty to offer. It is possible to obtain it.
As the world considers his accomplishments, many young players may be looking to challenge James' record.
Luka Doncic, the Slovenian forward guard for the Dallas Mavericks, is the leading scorer in the 2023-24 season. On Christmas night, he surpassed 10,000 points in his NBA career with a 3-pointer against the Phoenix Suns. He turned 25 on Wednesday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 25, of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, 29 years old. Donovan Mitchell Jr., 27, of the Cleveland Cavaliers. And Durant completed the list of top five scorers for the season.
On Thursday, James' 31-point performance helped the Lakers beat the Wizards and move them nine points shy of the 40,000-point mark.
In the post-game press conference, James stated that he still has the title of all-time leading scorer and vowed to defend his scoring position.
“When I came into the league, I never had a goal of being the all-time leading scorer,” he said.
“But I'm still playing…” he finished.
“This number will continue to go up until I'm done playing,” he said of his career total.
