LeBron Reaches 40k

By Connor Dullinger Mar 5, 2024

“The King” has defeated father time once again. Lebron James has added another milestone to his prestigious career as he became the first player in NBA history to reach 40,000 points.

In a Saturday night matchup against the Denver Nuggets,  James eclipsed the scoring mark with a driving layup early into the second quarter. 

James entered the game needing just nine points to reach the 40k clip, and he ended up finishing with. Despite the landmark reached by the 39-year-old the Lakers fell to the Nuggets 124-114. 

The 21 season veteran reached the historic mark on the 62nd anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game. In a gesture to honor the late Laker, James posed for a postgame photograph holding a white piece of paper with the number “40,000” written on it.

“The King” is familiar with breaking records as it was just last season that James passed Laker legend Karemm Abdul-Jabbar’s record for most career points (38,387). 

“We're not going to see this for a lot longer and have to appreciate him while he's here,” said Lakers coach Darvin Ham before Saturday’s game. “Just appreciate him for what he's given to the game, what he continues to give to the game and his knowledge, his performance.”

While James is the first player in history to reach 40,000 points there is no other active player in the league with over 30,000 points. The closest player is Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant who currently has 28,342 career points making him the leagues ninth all-time leading scorer.

James is currently in his 21st season and continues to dominate even as the oldest player in the league. Through 54 contests James is averaging 25.3 points, 7.9 assists, and 7.0 rebounds shooting 52.7% from the field, 40% from 3 and 73% at the line.

"And for me to be in this position at this point and time in my career, I think it's pretty cool,” said James. “To be able to accomplish things in this league, with the greatest players to ever play in this league, the NBA. This has been a dream of mine, and to hit feats and have milestones throughout my career, they all mean something to me.”