LeBron James becomes first player in NBA history to reach 40,000 career points
LeBron James continues to add to his impressive career in his 21st NBA season. The Lakers forward entered Saturday’s contest against the Denver Nuggets closing in on 40,000 career points, and it only took him to the second quarter to get there.
James drove to the rim and used a spin move to get an easy layup and reach the new milestone with 10:45 to go in the second. You can view the moment below.
James was already the all-time leading scorer in NBA history, as he surpassed Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar last season for the record. He now continues to add separation between himself the rest of the field. Kevin Durant, who is more than 10,000 points behind James with 28,342 career points, is the closest active player and ranks ninth all-time.
At 39 years old, James has shown little signs of slowing down this season. He leads the Lakers with 25.3 points and 7.9 assists per game along with 7.1 rebounds per game. James has recorded 16 triple-doubles since the age of 35, which is 11 more than any other player.
The scoring achievement is yet another milestone to add to what has been one of the greatest careers in NBA history. LeBron James is one of two players along with Michael Jordan to have won at least four NBA MVPs and four NBA Finals MVPs. He is also the only player in NBA history to record 30,000 points, 10,000 assists and 10,000 rebounds across a career.
James is a four-time NBA champion, 20-time All-Star, 19-time All-NBA Team and six-time NBA All-Defensive Team. He was named Rookie of the Year in 2003-04.
James went on to 26 points to lead the Lakers, who lost 124-114 on Tuesday night. He also added nine assists, four rebounds and three steals while going 12-of-20 from the field.
James became the first player to win the NBA In-Season Tournament MVP as the Lakers defeated the Pacers to win the NBA Cup. However, the Lakers haven’t had much success after that, as they are currently 33-28 and rank 10th in the Western Conference.
James has a player option following this season, so it will be interesting to see whether he remains with the Lakers or decides to go elsewhere. He is set to turn 40 years old in December, but if he continues to play at this level, he could have a few more years left.