LeBron James becomes first NBA player to reach 40,000 points
March 3, 2024
James scored nine points for the Los Angeles Lakers in a home game against the Denver Nuggets to achieve the milestone. This is the 21st NBA season for the 39-year-old, who is the oldest active player in the NBA.
LeBron James, known by the nickname "King James," is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time Image: Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo/picture alliance
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US basketball star LeBron James on Saturday became the first NBA player to score 40,000 career points.
This is the 21st NBA season for the 39-year-old, who is the oldest active player in the NBA.
James overtook Kareem Abdul-Jabbar just over a year ago for the NBA's all-time scoring mark.
James scores 9 after left-handed layup
On Saturday, he scored nine points for the Los Angeles Lakers in a home game against the Denver Nuggets.
James scored five points in the first quarter and then sank a layup 14 seconds into the second quarter. He then made a left-handed layup with 10:39 remaining in the second quarter.
James said that he did not consider the milestone to be the greatest achievement in his career, but still found it meaningful.
"No one has done it. And for me to be in this position at this point and time in my career, I think it's pretty cool," James said.
"Is it one of the top things I've done in my career? No. Does it mean something? Of course. Why wouldn't it?" he said.
Who is LeBron James?
James, who is from Akron, Ohio, was drafted into the league as a teenager.
He won four titles with three different teams, four MVP awards and four Finals MVP awards.
James has a player-option for the 2024-25 NBA season, which allows him to decide whether to stay with the Lakers for another year or become an unrestricted free agent.
He has not committed to the Lakers beyond the current season.
sdi/wd (Reuters, AFP, AP)
The NBA's top 10 scorers
In an LA Lakers regular season loss, LeBron James made history when he became the first ever NBA player to score over 40,000 career points.
Image: Ashley Landis/AP Photo/picture alliance
LeBron James (40,017)
LeBron James is widely considered one of the best players ever and on March 3, 2024, he lay a further claim to be considered the greatest ever when the four-time NBA champion and MVP became the first ever to score 40,000 NBA points. In his 21st NBA season, the 39-year-old set the record in an LA Lakers loss to the Denver Nuggets.*(as of 04.03.24)
Image: Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo/picture alliance
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points)
For nearly 39 years, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the leading scorer in NBA history, thanks in large part to his legendary sky hook. Abdul-Jabbar, who was born as Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, and changed his name after he converted to Islam in 1971, played for just two teams, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers between 1969 and 1989. He played in the NBA all-star game 19 times.
Image: picture-alliance/ZUMA Press
Karl Malone (36,928 points)
Karl "The Mailman" Malone played 18 seasons for the Utah Jazz before finishing his career with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004. He never won an NBA championship but he was a member of the US "Dream Team" that won Olympic gold in Barcelona in 1992. Bronze statues of Karl Malone and the guy who usually fed him the ball, John Stockton, stand outside of the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Kobe Bryant (33,643 points)
The shooting guard spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, leading his team to five NBA titles. In 2006 Bryant scored 81 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors, the second highest single-game total after Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 100 points in a 1962 game. At 34 years and 104 days of age, Bryant was the youngest player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points.
Image: picture-alliance/EPA/L. Nicholson
Michael Jordan (32,292 points)
Michael "Air" Jordan was picked third overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 1984 NBA draft. He would have scored many more points had he not interrupted his career with two retirements; in 1993 and 1999. During his first retirement from basketball, during which his No. 23 was retired by the Chicago Bulls, Jordan played minor league baseball. He ended his career with the Washington Wizards in 2003.
Image: Getty Images
Dirk Nowitzki (31,560 points)
Who would have thought that a kid from Germany's second division would make it to the NBA, let alone become a superstar? Drafted by Milwaukee Bucks in 1998 and then immediately traded to Dallas, Nowitzki became a legend at the Mavericks, securing a league MVP in 2007 and a championship in 2011. He remains the only player in NBA history to have played for one franchise for 21 seasons.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/L. Smith
Wilt Chamberlain (31,419 points)
Wilt Chamberlain played 14 seasons in the NBA, turning out for the Philadelphia / San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers. While playing for Philadelphia, the center set a single-game record of 100 points in a 1962 game against the New York Knicks. Prior to his NBA career "Wilt the Stilt" played a season with the Harlem Globetrotters.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Images
Shaquille O'Neal (28,596 points)
Listed at 2.16 meters tall (7 foot 1) and 147 kilograms (325 pounds), Shaquille O'Neal was one of the biggest men ever to play in the NBA. The center was drafted No. 1 overall by the Orlando Magic and went on to play for them and five other teams over a 19-year career. In 2000 Shaq became one of just three players to win the awards as NBA MVP, All-Star game MVP and Finals MVP in the same year.
Image: picture-alliance/Pressefoto Ulmer
Kevin Durant (28,392)*
Durant was named MVP in the 2014 season playing for Oklahoma City, but didn't win his first title until he joined Golden State, where he won in 2017 and 2018. He then moved to the Brooklyn Nets for four years, but mostly battled injury. Since early 2023, he has played for the Phoenix Suns and entered the top 10 scorer list in early December 2023.*(as of 04.03.2024)
Image: David Zalubowski/AP/picture alliance
Carmelo Anthony (28,289 points)*
Anthony is one of the best players never to win an NBA championship. Drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2003, he led the team to the playoffs for six straight years. He later played for the New York Knicks, where he scored a career-best 62 points in one game. He has played for a handful of other teams and the 38-year-old was most recently on the LA Lakers. *(as of 08.02.23)
