Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James set another NBA record recently. In the team’s March 4 blowout victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, James became the first player to eclipse 50,000 combined points in the regular season and playoffs.
For perspective on just how large of a lead James has in that category compared to the rest of the pack, Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ranks second in that metric, and he has just over 44,000 combined points to his name.
Another Lakers great, Shaquille O’Neal, thinks that James is out to set records that will stand the test of time and not be broken.
“I know what he’s doing,” O’Neal said of James. “He’s trying to make records that will never be broken again ’cause just think about it, the Kareem, he did that when I was in college, and I played 19 years, and then I’m out the game 15 years after that, and it finally got broken I think last year or the year before last. So, if he gets to 46,000 points, it’ll never be broken again.”
O’Neal is referencing the regular-season scoring record. James passed Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in that category back in early 2023 in a bout against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He broke the record in the third quarter of the game with a fadeaway jumper.
After James surpassed Abdul-Jabbar, some of the brightest stars in the NBA today took to social media to congratulate the forward. Among those who congratulated James were Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell and Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown.
James is currently just shy of 42,000 career regular-season points. He may have his longevity to credit for being the league’s all-time scorer as much as anything. The 40-year-old is still playing at an incredibly high level in his 22nd season in the league. He and former Toronto Raptors star Vince Carter are tied for playing the most seasons of any one player in the history of the league.
The Ohio native is a gifted scorer but has far from the highest regular-season scoring average ever. James ranks seventh on that list and is behind active players Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid and Kevin Durant.
James hasn’t been able to add to his scoring record of late thanks to a groin injury he suffered against the Celtics on March 8. He sat out Los Angeles’ game against the Brooklyn Nets on March 10 and is expected to remain sidelined for a little longer. With any luck, he’ll be back soon.