LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to score 50,000 points in the regular and postseason on Tuesday night.
James surpassed the mark with an early, early three-pointer early in the first quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
James scored 49,999 points on Sunday night, earning 17, with the Lakers beating the Clippers 108-102 for the sixth straight time.
James, 40, is the highest scorer in NBA history, both in the regular season and the playoffs of his career, rewriting all previous definitions of basketball’s longevity.
James reached 50,000 points over 22 seasons depth. Lakers great Kareem Abdul Jabber, who played 20 seasons, is second in NBA history with a total of 44,149 points.
And while almost every other NBA player following his late 30s finished with just a few of his peak powers, James’ game shows no significant signs of decline in his 40s. He averaged 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.2 steals in February, playing more than 35 minutes per game for the Lakers, finishing second in the West.
James began on Tuesday with third place in NBA history, with 1,547 regular season games being played, tracking only Robert Parrish (1,611) and Abdul Jabbar (1,560). If he chooses to stay healthy and return to the 23rd day record, he will likely outperform the parish next winter.
James also plays the most postseason games in NBA history. He became the league’s career playoff scoring leader on May 25, 2017, when he surpassed Michael Jordan’s total of 5,987 in the Cleveland Cavaliers Eastern Conference Finals game in Boston.
James then became the top scorer in regular season history when he broke Abdul Jabbar’s 38,387 points record during a Lakers game against Oklahoma City on February 7, 2023.
James’ prolific scoring is largely due to the consistency of his metronomy. His performance against the Clippers has led him to score at least 10 points in 1,277 consecutive games since January 6, 2007.
James’ Player Award of the Month in February was his 41st and extended his own league record. He also surpassed 37-year-old Carl Malone in November 2000 and became the oldest player to win the award.
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