After eclipsing Kareem-Abdul Jabbar’s NBA record, LeBron James has a chance to become basketball’s all-time scoring leader
The 20th NBA season of LeBron James will be most remembered as the year he broke the long-standing all-time scoring record of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Heading to another season, the four-time NBA champion can break another scoring record that encompasses borders beyond his mother league.
Legendary Brazilian basketball player Oscar Schmidt holds the all-time scoring outside of the NBA with 49,737 points. Prior to entering the 2023-24 season, James is at 47,737 points and would need just 2,004 points to achieve the monumental milestone.
Even though he is not part of the NBA, Schmidt is celebrated for his international career as he represented Brazil in four Olympic Games. He became the top scorer in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, averaging 42.3 points per game. His impressive tally of 49,000 points marks his legacy from national to international competitions.
LeBron went over 38,000 points last season and has 8,023 total points in the playoffs. With how the Lakers star is going, he is poised to crack 50,000 points in the NBA and potentially reach 60,000 if he decides to play five more years.
Other records that LeBron James can break in the 2023-24 season
Having recently claimed the title of the league's leading scorer, Lebron James is on the verge of breaking more records in his 21st season. He would need 1,348 points to reach the historic 40,000 points, and he stands in uncharted territory that only he has achieved.
Aside from another scoring record, James is expected to surpass Karl Malone in the total minutes played in the NBA. With 262 more made free throws, he would also surpass Kobe Bryant.
Furthermore, another Kareem Abdul-Jabbar record is set to be broken as James is tied with him with the most number of NBA All-Star appearances at 19. By the end of the season, James could also secure a groundbreaking 20 career All-NBA selections.
Just last season, James, at 38 years old, averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game.