LeBron James made NBA history on Tuesday, becoming the first player ever to score 50,000 career points, further solidifying his position as the league’s all-time leading scorer.
The milestone, which could stand unchallenged for years to come, was achieved during the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans, AFP reports.
Entering the game with 49,999 career points, including both regular season and postseason totals, James needed just one point to reach the 50,000 mark. It didn’t take long for the 40-year-old superstar to make history. After receiving a pass from Luka Dončić, James launched a flawless 25-foot three-pointer, pushing his career total to 50,002 points as the Crypto.com Arena erupted in celebration.
James had already broken Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s previous all-time regular-season scoring record of 38,387 points in 2023, a record that had stood for 39 years. Now, James is nearly 6,000 points ahead of Abdul-Jabbar’s total career points tally of 44,149, with Karl Malone following in third place with 41,689 points. The late Kobe Bryant ranks fourth with 39,283 points, while Michael Jordan holds the fifth spot with 38,279 points.
Among active players, only Kevin Durant, with just over 35,000 career points, comes close to James, trailing by roughly 15,000 points.
