"We're gonna stop you, you're getting 8": Nikola Jokic cracks up LeBron James with hilarious jab before he scores 40,000
Before LeBron James made history by scoring his 40,000th career point, Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic joked about stopping ‘The King’ from achieving it in their game on Saturday in Los Angeles.
The two league stars had a brief interaction midcourt early in the first quarter where ‘The Joker’ was overheard saying to ‘The King’ that he would not be able to hit the milestone against them.
Jokic jokingly said:
"We're gonna stop you, you're going 8."
Entering the contest, LeBron James just needed nine points to become the first-ever player in league history to reach 40,000 career points.
The four-time NBA champion eventually reached the milestone at the 10:40 mark of the second quarter. He drove to the basket against the defense of Michael Porter Jr. and scored.
The game was not stopped like what took place when James broke the all-time scoring record long held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in February last year.
However, following the LA Lakers timeout, a video tribute to the 20-time All-Star was shown after which he took time to acknowledge the Crypto.com Arena crowd from the bench.
With four minutes left in the second quarter against the Nuggets, James was at 40,002 career total points and the Lakers were ahead 58-47.
LeBron James proud to reach 40,000 total career points
NBA superstar LeBron James added to his legend by becoming the first-ever player in league history to score 40,000 career points. He did it in their game against the defending champions Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
In the lead-up to the game, James shared his thoughts on hitting 40,000 career points, highlighting how it is something he takes pride in.
The 39-year-old Akron, Ohio native said:
"I mean, I can't sit here and say no because, of course. No one has ever done it (scoring 40,000 points). And for me to be in this position and time in my career, I think it's pretty cool. Does it sit at the top of the things I've done in my career? No. But does it mean something? Of course. Absolutely. Why wouldn't it?"
LeBron James is currently playing in his 21st season in the NBA and remains one of the top players in the league. He is averaging 25.3 points, 7.9 assists, 7.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 35.1 minutes of play in 53 games.
‘The King’ has become a four-time NBA champion, 20-time All-Star and the league’s all-time leading scorer, among other feats, since being drafted first overall in the 2003 NBA draft.