LeBron James didn’t do it with a sky hook, but the moment was still incredible: With a 15-foot fadeaway in the closing seconds of the third quarter, LeBron became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer on Tuesday.
It came in a loss to the Thunder, but for one night, even as the Lakers scrap for a postseason berth, nobody cared much about the outcome. LeBron finished with 38 points, two more than the 36 he needed, putting him at 38,890 for his career.
Sports are defined by numbers. Rings. Points. Home runs. For 39 years, the amount of time that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the mark, the NBA’s all-time scoring record became arguably the most hallowed record in all of sports. You can put the home run record up there. Wayne Gretzky’s total points. Off the top of my head, I’m not sure what else. Just a remarkable achievement for a remarkable athlete.
Below are 25 notable numbers to know about LeBron’s scoring career (with a few tips of the cap to Kareem, of course).
1
Number of scoring titles James has won (30 PPG in 2007-08)
Number of 3-pointers Kareem made during his NBA career
2
James has recorded two game-winning buzzer-beaters during his regular-season career (he has five more in the playoffs)
3
LeBron is the only player in history to hold the highest per-game scoring average (minimum 50 games) for three different franchises (Cavaliers, Heat, Lakers)
5
Number of players who have fallen off the top-10 career scoring list since LeBron entered the league in 2003: Elvin Hayes (11), Hakeem Olajuwon (12), Oscar Robertson (13), Dominique Wilkins (15) and John Havlicek (18)
The five players who replaced them as top-10 all-time scorers are LeBron (1), Kobe Bryant (4), Dirk Nowitzki (6), Shaquille O’Neal (8) and Carmelo Anthony (9)
7
Number of players who played against both LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Rod Strickland, Reggie Miller, Olden Polynice, Mark Jackson, Kevin Willis, Horace Grant and Avery Johnson)
10
LeBron has scored at least 10 points in 1,140 straight games, by far the longest streak in history (Michael Jordan is second at 866)
19
LeBron has amassed 19 percent of his career point total with the Lakers
20
LeBron has finished as a top-20 scorer in an NBA-record 20 straight seasons (Kareem had 17 straight)
James has scored at least 20 points in an NBA record 1,173 games
21
LeBron amassed 21 percent of his career point total with the Miami Heat
24.1
LeBron’s career PPG vs. the Detroit Pistons, his lowest against any opponent
25
Amount of points LeBron scored in his first NBA game (2003 at Sacramento)
James has averaged at least 25 PPG in an NBA record 19 straight seasons (assuming he does so again this year). Next closest are Kevin Durant, Karl Malone and Jerry West at 11.
LeBron is the youngest (20) and oldest (38) player to average 25 PPG for a season
29
LeBron’s career PPG vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers, his highest against any opponent
30
LeBron has 531 career 30-point games, second most in history to Michael Jordan’s 562.
31.4
LeBron’s highest single-season scoring average, which he achieved with the Cavaliers in 2005-06
37
LeBron’s single-game scoring high for 2015-16, the only regular season of his career that he failed to register a 40-point game
38
The number of years Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the all-time scoring record (April 5, 1984 to February 7th, 2023)
40
LeBron is the only player in history to have at least one 40-point game against all 30 franchises.
James has 74 career 40-point games (Wilt Chamberlain holds the record at 271)
50
James has 14 career 50-point games, the same amount as Damian Lillard and Rick Barry
LeBron is the only player with multiple 50-point games after turning 35
James is a career 50-percent shooter in the regular season
56
LeBron’s highest single-game scoring output as a Laker
57
LeBron’s highest single-game scoring output as a Cavalier
59
The career true-shooting percentage of both LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
60
Percentage of LeBron’s career point total scored with Cleveland Cavaliers
61
LeBron’s highest single-game scoring output (2014 vs. Bobcats), which also ranks as the highest-scoring game in Miami Heat history
1,000
LeBron is the youngest player in history to reach every 1,000-point milestone (1K, 2K, 3K …. 38K)
2,478
Most total points LeBron has scored in a single season (2005-06)
LeBron James breaks NBA scoring record: 25 numbers to know as one of sports’ most hallowed marks falls
- Advertisment - 