With his 31 points against the Wizards, LeBron James offered himself the opportunity to reach 40,000 career points in his next match. He only needs nine points now and it will be against Denver on Saturday evening.
We can write it in the future tense because the last time that the “King” did not score at least 10 points in a match dates back to January 6, 2007! That’s 1,204 games in a row, an NBA record obviously. But is he, who is already the best scorer in NBA history since February 7, 2023, really touched by this feat?
“I obviously can’t say no.”, explains the Lakers winger. “No one has ever done it. It's pretty cool to be able to do that, at this point in my career. Is this at the peak of my career achievements? No. But does it count? Absolutely. How could this not be the case? »
“The record made itself”
This is no small feat. On February 16, 1972, Wilt Chamberlain was the first player in history to exceed 30,000 points. He has since been joined by LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Dirk Nowitzki. 52 years later, the 40,000 points mark will fall.
“It’s a dream for me to be able to achieve things like this in this league, with the best players in NBA history. Reaching important milestones during my career means things to me. Clearly,” continues the former Cavaliers and Heat. “Afterwards, it’s obvious that there is a hierarchy, with some more important than others. I'd be lying if I said it didn't do anything for me. »
The question is how high LeBron James will set this bar. A year after his record, he revised the 40,000. Can we imagine 45,000, or even 50,000 points?
“I never thought I would set the record for points scored,” he recalls. “It happened quite naturally. I played the right way, I let the game come to me and the record happened by itself. That was never my goal coming into the league. But I'm still playing and I can still score points. So this will continue until I retire. »
| LeBron James | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2003-04 | KEY | 79 | 40 | 41.7 | 29.0 | 75.4 | 1.3 | 4.2 | 5.5 | 5.9 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 3.5 | 0.7 | 20.9 |
| 2004-05 | KEY | 80 | 42 | 47.2 | 35.1 | 75.0 | 1.4 | 6.0 | 7.4 | 7.2 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 27.2 |
| 2005-06 | KEY | 79 | 43 | 48.0 | 33.5 | 73.8 | 1.0 | 6.1 | 7.0 | 6.6 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 31.4 |
| 2006-07 | KEY | 78 | 41 | 47.6 | 31.9 | 69.8 | 1.1 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 6.0 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 27.3 |
| 2007-08 | KEY | 75 | 40 | 48.4 | 31.5 | 71.2 | 1.8 | 6.1 | 7.9 | 7.2 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 30.0 |
| 2008-09 ★ | KEY | 81 | 38 | 48.9 | 34.4 | 78.0 | 1.3 | 6.3 | 7.6 | 7.3 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 28.4 |
| 2009-10 ★ | KEY | 76 | 39 | 50.3 | 33.3 | 76.7 | 0.9 | 6.4 | 7.3 | 8.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 29.7 |
| 2010-11 | MIA | 79 | 39 | 51.1 | 33.0 | 75.9 | 1.0 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 3.6 | 0.6 | 26.7 |
| 2011-12 ★ | MIA | 62 | 38 | 53.1 | 36.2 | 77.1 | 1.5 | 6.4 | 7.9 | 6.2 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 27.2 |
| 2012-13 ★ | MIA | 76 | 38 | 56.5 | 40.6 | 75.3 | 1.3 | 6.8 | 8.0 | 7.3 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 26.8 |
| 2013-14 | MIA | 77 | 38 | 56.7 | 37.9 | 75.0 | 1.1 | 5.9 | 6.9 | 6.3 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 27.1 |
| 2014-15 | KEY | 69 | 36 | 48.8 | 35.4 | 71.0 | 0.7 | 5.3 | 6.0 | 7.4 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 3.9 | 0.7 | 25.3 |
| 2015-16 | KEY | 76 | 36 | 52.0 | 30.9 | 73.1 | 1.5 | 6.0 | 7.4 | 6.8 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 25.3 |
| 2016-17 | KEY | 74 | 38 | 54.8 | 36.3 | 67.4 | 1.3 | 7.3 | 8.6 | 8.7 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 4.1 | 0.6 | 26.4 |
| 2017-18 | KEY | 82 | 37 | 54.2 | 36.7 | 73.1 | 1.2 | 7.5 | 8.7 | 9.1 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 4.2 | 0.9 | 27.5 |
| 2018-19 | LAL | 55 | 35 | 51.0 | 33.9 | 66.5 | 1.0 | 7.4 | 8.5 | 8.3 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 3.6 | 0.6 | 27.4 |
| 2019-20 | LAL | 67 | 35 | 49.3 | 34.8 | 69.3 | 1.0 | 6.9 | 7.8 | 10.2 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 3.9 | 0.5 | 25.3 |
| 2020-21 | LAL | 45 | 33 | 51.3 | 36.5 | 69.8 | 0.6 | 7.0 | 7.7 | 7.8 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 3.7 | 0.6 | 25.0 |
| 2021-22 | LAL | 56 | 37 | 52.4 | 35.9 | 75.6 | 1.1 | 7.1 | 8.2 | 6.2 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 3.5 | 1.1 | 30.3 |
| 2022-23 | LAL | 55 | 36 | 50.0 | 32.1 | 76.8 | 1.2 | 7.1 | 8.3 | 6.8 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 28.9 |
| 2023-24 | LAL | 52 | 35 | 52.6 | 40.8 | 73.6 | 0.9 | 6.3 | 7.1 | 7.9 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 25.2 |
| Total | 1472 | 38 | 50.5 | 34.7 | 73.5 | 1.2 | 6.3 | 7.5 | 7.4 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 27.1 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
