LeBron James reached 40,000 points on Saturday night, still going strong in his 21st NBA season as he attempts to break the career scoring record.
During the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Denver Nuggets, James drove past Michael Porter Jr. for a layup and hit a historic goal with 10:39 left in the second quarter.
James received a standing ovation at the next timeout and coach Davon Hamm patted his chest in congratulations. There was a video demonstration on the court, before and after the video demonstration, of James raising the ball above his head.
James missed a loose ball on his first attempt of the night, but he converted for a layup in transition and prompted the Nuggets to use their first timeout. He then hit a corner three-pointer and was substituted with 3:19 left in the first quarter.
James came back on the court at the beginning of the second quarter and attacked the basket with 14 seconds left in the game, creating a historic goal.
On February 7, 2023, James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the league’s scoring leader with 38,387 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder. On November 21, he scored 39,000 points in an in-season championship game against the Utah Jazz.
Hamm was a young fan when Abdul-Jabbar was nearing the end of his career and thought the record would never be challenged, let alone surpassed like James.
“But here we are,” Hamm said before the game. “It’s a testament to LeBron that he’s spent time and resources on himself to make sure he’s not only healthy, but maintaining a high level of health.”
The 39-year-old James is also the player with the second most regular season and playoff minutes in league history. He is the only NBA player to have at least 10,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who spent five seasons with James as an assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005-10, still marvels at how James maintains such a high level of performance.
“I’m not going to be attracted by the numbers themselves, but you have to be amazed by the continued greatness,” Malone said.
“Just doing what he’s doing at this stage of his career, and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down at all, is scarier. Really, when you step back, you have to marvel at the longevity. But he just doesn’t play it. . He plays the ball very efficiently.”
