LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron scoring record
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LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket against Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks during a preseason game at Fiserv Forum on October 10, 2024
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, 30, on Saturday became the sixth-youngest to reach 21K career points — a remarkable feat for a player who started his career as a project and didn’t become a full-time starter until Year 3. After hitting the milestone, Antetokounmpo boldly proclaimed that he would surpass the LeBron James scoring record within the next five years.
“I think getting to the top of the scoring list is not six, seven or eight years away. In my opinion, I think it’s four years away—four or five years away, four and a half years away,” the two-time MVP told reporters, via Sports Illustrated.
“I think when I’m going to be 35 years old and sitting in this chair, want to have a discussion of I am in the top list of all-time in scoring. And, I would have talked that into existence and not just talk that into existence because I believe that I’m going to do it, it’s something that I want to do.”
A Pipe Dream
James, who turns 41 on Dec. 30, sits atop the all-time scoring list with 42,250 points, more than double Antetokounmpo’s 21,002 points (as of Dec. 1).
For Antetokounmpo to even sniff James’ mark of 42,250 points, he’d have to play all 82 games over the next five years, while averaging 53.6 points per game.
Yes — the “Greek Freak” is delusional.
Only three players this century have averaged even 35 points — James Harden (36.13 in 2018-19), Kobe Bryant (35.40 in 2005-06) and Luka Doncic (35.07 this season). Wilt Chamberlain remains the only player to average over 50, doing so in 1961-62.
For context, Antetokounmpo has averaged 2K points every season since 2021-21. He’d have to up those numbers to 4,395 every season 2029-30 to approach James — which may seem even farther after “The King” retires with a few more thousand points.
LeBron James Scoring Record
Realistically, Antetokounmpo would hit the 32K mark by 2030, which would place him sixth all-time, behind Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James. Mind you, Kevin Durant — who has 30,940 points — will likely break into the top-five before the end of the 2025-26 campaign.
Yes — records are meant to be broken, and some player may indeed break the LeBron James scoring record someday. But it won’t be Giannis Antetokounmpo, at least not in this decade. That said, Antetokounmpo could conceivably hit the 40K mark if he sustains his current scoring pace until the 2034-35 season.
Also worth noting is that Antetokounmpo is no longer as durable as he was in his younger years, having missed 50 games since 2022-23, including six this season. As such, even the 2030 projection of 32K points should be taken with a grain of salt.
Luka Has a Better Shot
The 2021 Finals MVP has every right to feel confident, having averaged over 30 PPG for four consecutive seasons at historic efficiency numbers. However, he will eventually be robbed of James’ record as he was a slow starter who didn’t average over 20 points until his fourth season, unlike James, who began his career as a top-10 player.
Lakers star Luka Doncic actually has a better shot at eventually surpassing the LeBron James scoring record, provided he can stay healthy and play into his late-30s. The Slovenian is on pace to hit the 15K mark by the end of the 2025-26 season, and can realistically reach the 25K mark before the end of the decade. He’s still 26.
Doncic (28.8) is third all-time in points per game, trailing only Michael Jordan (30.1) and Wilt Chamberlain (30.1). He’s averaging a career-high 35.1 points this season.