At age 41, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers set the NBA all-time field goals made record, now at 15,838 buckets and counting. LeBron James field goals made record, LeBron James breaks NBA all-time field goals made record, LeBron passes Kareem all-time field goals made record, LeBron James scoring record, LeBron James passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar field goal record, LeBron James untouchable NBA records, Lakers game, Los Angeles Lakers Denver Nuggets game stat, LeBron James Lakers, Lakers LeBron James
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LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to break the NBA's all-time field goals made record with his third made shot in the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, March 5th, 2026.
At age 41, LeBron James of theLos Angeles Lakers set theNBA all-time field goals made record, now at 15,838 buckets and counting.
James set the record with his third made shot in the Lakers game against theDenver Nuggets on Thursday night. Shortly after he made history, the NBA posted confirmation of the record-breaking shot.
James,the oldest player in the NBA, went into the game needing to make just three shots to passKareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s record of 15,837 field goals made, the most in NBA history until James overtook him.
LeBron James Breaks NBA All-Time Field Goals Made Record
James had previously passed Abdul-Jabbar’s historic record to become the NBA’s all-time points scoring leader, hitting the fateful shot in early 203. Now, while James has already scored more points than any player in basketball history, a bit more than three years later, no player has hit more shots in the history of the sport at the highest level than James, as he broke the record in the Thursday Lakers game.
“With 15,837 career field goals made, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been the standard bearer for field goals made in the NBA for nearly four decades,”Brian Martin of NBA.com wrote before James set the record. “But just as James passed Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time scoring leader on Feb. 7, 2023, “The King” is now poised to pass “The Captain” in field goals made.”
Looking back on all of James’ 15,838 field goals made, Martin went through the most notable shots on James’ illustrious career.
His first made basket came on October 29, 2003, in his NBA debut for theCleveland Cavaliers.
“With the eyes of the basketball world laser-focused on him, an 18-year-old LeBron James rose for his first NBA shot attempt and swished a 16-foot baseline jumper,” Martin wrote. “It was one of 12 field goals in his NBA debut, not only stamping his arrival, but laying a foundation for a career that is still evolving 23 years later.”
James then hit field goal number 5,000 on January 3rd, 2010, during his time with theMiami Heat. Only 235 players have ever hit the 5,000 field goal mark.
His 10,000th made field goal came during James’ second stint with the Cavaliers,coming on January8th, 2017, a mark only 16 playershave ever reached.
Finally, James hit his 15,838th field goal, to break the record, on Thursday, March5th, 2026. It came while the Lakers’ forward is the oldest player in the NBA by nearly two years, and was just another historic mark in his Hall of Fame-bound career.
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THE MOST FIELD GOALS MADE IN NBA HISTORY 👏
Besides James and Abdul-Jabbar, no player in NBA history has more than 14,000 field goals made.It’s a similar case with total points, as the two are also the only players in league history to reach 38,000, but James’ 43,111 and counting total pointsis likely never to be broken, barring another player of his caliber,skillset, and longevity.
LeBron James Unbreakable NBA Records
As mentioned, James’ all-time scoring record is likely a mark that will stand the test of time. Though he is so far ahead of Abdul-Jabbar in the scoring department, he only just now passed the legend’s field goals made mark, due to the fact that James shot and made many more three-pointers than the ex-Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks center in the 1970s and 80s. But in the same vein as his scoring record, a miracle and new NBA ‘GOAT’ candidate could now only challenge his field goals made record.
Along with those two, James has a few ‘untouchable‘ NBA records that will likely never be reached or broken in league history.
The first is his 1,297-game double-digit scoring streak, which came to an end in a December Lakers game. James scored at least ten points in every single game he played for nearly 19 years, a span longer than 99% of NBA players’ careers.
Another record is his 21-straight All-Star starter selections. His streak ended this season, but he was still named an All-Star reserve.
James has the NBA record for all-time playoff wins, at 184, a number that, until he retires, will keep rising. While a run to winning the Finals requires 16 playoff wins, James has enough wins in the postseason to count for 11 championships. He obviously hasn’t won that many in his career, but has reached the Finals 10 times, coming very close on multiple occasions.
James also has the record for most playoff games and points, with 292 postseason appearances and 8,289 points, respectively.
He became the oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double this seasonas well,recording 28 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds at 41 years, 44 days old,passing Karl Malonefor the record.
James’ 50,000 total points between the regular season and playoffs can likely be included in this bunch, as nobody else has even reached the 45,000 mark.
Finally, James ranks first in points, minutes, and field goals made, while also second in games played, fourth in assists, and sixth in steals. No player besides he and Abdul-Jabbar ranks in the top ten in more than two of those areas.
James’ career has truly been legendary, and the numbers back it up, as he’s now the NBA’s all-time leader in field goals made, along with many more historic statistics.