On the morning of March 3rd, LeBron James officially reached the milestone of 40,000 points in his NBA career. This is a 21-year journey, a testament to the greatness of one of the greatest basketball players in history.
What’s even more important is that it’s not stopping yet because the more James plays, the more points he will score, and the greater his advantage over his pursuers.
But before discussing the future, let’s take a look back at LeBron James’ journey to 40,000 points with 40 statistics and special indices that the “young 39-year-old talent” has achieved.
These points are examined by the CBS website from various angles, from the unparalleled endurance to the special ways LeBron “scores” throughout his 21-year career in the NBA.
ENDURANCE AND CONSISTENCY: Let’s start with what LeBron James has left the most impression on, which is his ability to maintain peak performance for a very long time.
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LeBron has scored at least 10 points in 1,204 consecutive games (and still counting), breaking the previous record held by Michael Jordan with 866 games. The last time James scored fewer than 10 points was in January 2007, when he was just 22 years old.
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LeBron James has been among the top 20 players with the highest scoring averages in the entire 21-year NBA season. This two-decade-long streak far surpasses the previous record of 17 seasons held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
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James is both the youngest player (21 years old) and the oldest player (37 years old) to average over 30 points per game in a season in the NBA.
- LeBron is the only player in history to have scored 40 points against all 30 NBA teams.
- Throughout 21 NBA seasons, LeBron James has always had at least one game with 40 points scored except for just one season, 2015-16 (while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers).
- In the NBA, there are 6 players who have played up to 21 seasons. Alone, LeBron James has a higher points-per-game average than the combined total of 5 other players (25.3 PPG compared to 24.0 PPG).
- Despite being 39 years old and playing his 21st season in his career, LeBron James is still averaging 25.3 points per game, ranking 15th in the entire NBA this year.
- LeBron James has scored the most points in a game for the Los Angeles Lakers 13 times this season, an NBA record for a player in their 21st season or later.
- The Seattle SuperSonics, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, and Charlotte Bobcats are teams that have changed names or moved to other cities. But before becoming the names they are today, these four teams received 2,566 points from LeBron.
- James is the only player in NBA history to be both in the top 10 in scoring and in the top 10 in total games played.
- LeBron James has played against at least 10 pairs of father-son duos throughout his career, such as Gary Payton and Gary Payton II, Rick Brunson and Jalen Brunson, Kenyon Martin and Kenyon Martin Jr…
- LeBron is currently the oldest player in the NBA and averages over 25 points per game. The last time the NBA had the oldest player in the league and reached double-digit averages in points was John Stockton in the 2002-03 season, but only at 10.8 points per game.
- Looking ahead, LeBron James could become the first player in history to score at “teenage” (under 20) and at 40 years old. He will turn 40 by the end of this year.
(Continued Part 2: Shocking Statistics and Diversity in LeBron’s Scoring)
