On March 4, Los Angeles Laker LeBron James added to his growing and impressive list of accomplishments when he became the first play in NBA history to score 50,000 points!
Already this year, he became the first 40 year old player to make him the oldest player in the league. Now in his 22nd season with the NBA, James is also the first player to share the court with his son Brony.
Needing just one point to set the combined points record – regular and post season – James took care of business early with a three point shot in the first quarter of a game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Lakers went on to win the game 136-115.
Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter announced to the crowd at the first time out after the score with, “ladies and gentlemen, we all have just witnessed history.” Acknowledging the standing ovation, James gave the crowd several waves from the bench.
By the end of the night, LeBron James had added a total of 34 points to his unprecedented career total.
In a post game interview, rubbing his beard, James noted, “I mean, that’s a lot of points. Obviously, the first thing that comes to mind is where I’m from. Picking up the game when I was a little kid and having a love for the sport, and hoping that someday I’d be able to play at the highest level. I’ve been able to do that and really enjoy my career. So it’s definitely an honor. It’s pretty cool to see that.”
Lakers teammate Luka Doncic spoke on James saying, “It’s amazing, watching him do this stuff at this age. It’s just unbelievable, that 50K points. I can’t even explain how insane that is. He might get to 70K. You never know.”
Sure to become a member of the NBA Hall of Fame once he finally hangs up the basketball shoes, James’ impressive list of accomplishments include:
James now holds the records for top regular season scoring player, top post season scoring player, and the top combined scoring player!
At 22 seasons, he is tied with Vince Carter for the most season played in the NBA.
James was named the NBA Western Conference player of the month for February for his 41st such award; extending his own record.
He has one more record in his sights this season…most regular season games played. He currently stands at 1,548 games and could pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 1,560 for second. Robert Parish holds the lead with 1,611 games – which James could achieve if he returns for a 23rd season.
However, he does hold the record for most playoff games in the NBA with 287.