LeBron James reached 40,000 points Saturday night, still going strong in his 21st NBA season as he tries to put the career scoring record out of reach.
James drove past Michael Porter Jr. and hit a layup with 10:39 left in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Denver Nuggets for the historic basket.
James received a standing ovation at the next timeout, while coach Darvin Ham gave him a congratulatory pat on the chest. There was an in-arena video presentation, which was preceded and followed by James raising the ball over his head.
James shot an airball on his first attempt of the night but responded by getting out in transition for a layup for his first points and prompting the Nuggets to use their first timeout. He then made a corner 3-pointer before subbing out with 3:19 left in the first quarter.
James checked back in to start the second quarter, attacking the basket 14 seconds into the period to set up the milestone score.
James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s mark of 38,387 points to become the league’s leading scorer on Feb. 7, 2023, against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He reached 39,000 points on Nov. 21 in an In-Season Tournament game against the Utah Jazz.
Ham was a young fan when Abdul-Jabbar was finishing out his career and assumed the record would never be challenged, let alone surpassed in the way James has.
“But here we are,” Ham said before the game. “It’s a testament to Bron, just the time and resources he spends on himself, making sure not only he is healthy but he’s healthy at a high level.”
James, 39, has also played the second-most regular season and most playoff minutes in league history. He is the only NBA player with at least 10,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone spent five seasons with James as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005-10 and remains in awe of how he is able to still play at such a high level.
“I don’t get caught up in the number per se, but you just have to marvel at the continued greatness,” Malone said.
“Just to do what he’s doing at this stage of his career, and it doesn’t appear like he’s slowing down at all, which is even scarier. Really, when you take a step back, you just have to marvel at the longevity. But he’s just not playing at this. He is playing effectively.”
News
Tribute to Taylor Swift SPARKS BAD BLOOD WITH BEYONCÉ FANS
Getty Post Malone has gotta be screaming, “damned if ya do, damned if ya don’t” — after recording collabs with Taylor Swift AND Beyoncé … Swifties love him, but the Beyhive’s pissed. The drama started when one fan called out the striking difference between Post’s…
Watch a loopy Taylor Swift hilariously lose her mind over a banana post-surgery
PHOTO: NBC Score one for Mama Swift. Taylor Swift stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, and the late-night host had a surprise waiting for the pop star, courtesy of her mother, Andrea. Turns out, when the singer had Lasik…
Medical students made to help a robot ‘give birth’ as part of their training
The robot is used as an educational tool to familiarise students with the birthing process A robot is used by medical students to allow them to practice being in the delivery room when a patient’s special day rolls around. In…
From The Waterboy to His Wedding Day, the Most ’90s Photos of Adam Sandler
The actor has been bringing the laughs for almost four decades A young Adam Sandler in 1998. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES/BOB RIHA, JR. So many artists helped define the 1990s, but Adam Sandler definitely sits high on that list. The actor and comedian has been…
New Hampshire Native Adam Sandler Buys the Most Low-key Home Ever
Hmmm. New Hampshire’s own Adam Sandler, raised in Manchester, bought the last home you’d expect an A-List celebrity swimming in money to buy. According to Dirt, it’s quite extensive, as Adam has spent millions of dollars buying homes in prime areas…
When Adam Sandler Recalled His Wife Shouting “Kiss Her Harder, Deeper!” While Shooting A Kissing Scene With Jennifer Aniston In Murder Mystery
American comedy film Murder Mystery, starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston as the lead, was released in 2019. American comedy film Murder Mystery, which was loosely based on the famous book “Murder on Orient Express”, was released in 2019. The…
End of content
No more pages to load