LeBron James 40,000 points milestone: LA Lakers star achieves the unthinkable NBA record vs Nuggets
LeBron James has officially scored his 40,000th NBA career point on Saturday against the Denver Nuggets. "King James" entered the contest nine points behind the record-scoring mark. He scored his ninth point in the second quarter of the game with a spin move and a layup.
The NBA's all-time scoring leader is now separating himself from potential stars who could break his record. LeBron has plausibly made the scoring record untouchable as he's only building on it, showing minimal signs of slowing down in year 21.
The 39-year-old is expected to continue playing for multiple years. That could stretch his points total further in the coming years.
LeBron James is averaging 25.2 points per game on 53.2% shooting, including a career-high 40.8% from 3 this season. He's on pace to finish the year with 1800 points, potentially taking his career total to 40,550 points.
LeBron James achieved a 40,000 career points milestone almost one year after achieving the NBA's All-Time scoring record
LeBron James broke the NBA's all-time scoring record set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Feb. 7, 2023. That's almost a year ago from his latest scoring milestone of 40,000 NBA career points. That was also a home game for the LA Lakers against the OKC Thunder. LeBron hit a vintage fadeaway midrange jumper to achieve the unthinkable record.
He's in control of the scoring record after taking it past the 40,000 mark. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's tally was once considered impossible to surpass. It took a generational talent like LeBron James to break it almost four decades later.
It will take a talent similar to LeBron or even better to breach the mark the Lakers star sets when it's all said and done. It's almost certain that it will take at least four or five decades for another talent to come close to this total.
However, it can be argued that no other player in history has exceeded expectations like LeBron. Even in his year 21, LeBron hasn't lost a step like some of his former peers did back in the day.
The longevity has consistency for "King James," which will play a key role in his 40k milestone potentially becoming an unbreakable NBA record.