LeBron James has become the first player in NBA history to score a combined 50,000 points across all games, season and postseason.
He made the record with a three-pointer in the first quarter of the Los Angeles Lakersâ 136-115 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, in which he scored 34.
Talk about longevity.
âI mean, thatâs a lot of points,â James said afterward, rubbing his beard in wonder, (weâre right there with you LeBron.)
âObviously, the first thing that comes to mind is where Iâm from. Picking up the game when I was a little kid and having a love for the sport, and hoping that someday Iâd be able to play at the highest level. Iâve been able to do that and really enjoy my career. So itâs definitely an honor. Itâs pretty cool to see that.â
Across his joint-most-ever seasons in the NBA of 22, LeBron is gradually leaving other greats of the game behind. Kareem Abdul-Jabar is fading into the review mirror with his 44,149 points across 20 seasons.
50,000 points wasnât a record set by another playerâLeBron already was the NBAâs all-time highest scorer across regular season and playoffsâitâs just a nice round number unlikely to be touched for a long time.
During the game, the Lakersâ stadium announcer took the first time-out as an occasion to inform the crowd they had been witness to history, with James acknowledging the standing ovation with several waves from the bench.
The other longevity record left to break would be all-time games played, one he would likely make his own if he returned for another season and stayed fit and available, as he is less than one regular seasonâs worth of games behind Jabar, and Robert Parish who holds the record with 1,611.
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If he were to return for a 23rd season at the age of 41, it wouldnât be a testimonial either. As his points total against the Pelicans on Tuesday suggests, James keeps up his high-standards. He was named the NBAâs Western Conference player of the month for February, averaging 35 minutes per game, 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.2 steals. He also holds the NBAâs record for most player of the month awards (41).
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AP reports that James has also played in 287 postseason games, the most in NBA history. He became the leagueâs career playoff scoring leader almost a decade ago, when he surpassed Michael Jordanâs total of 5,987 during his time with Cleveland in 2017.
His performances throughout his career have verged on inevitable, and by far the best piece of LeBron trivia is his scoring streak. Since January of 2007, James has scored at least 10 points in each of the 1,278 consecutive games he has played in since then.
Talk about fine wine.