LeBron James is redefining basketball longevity, and at 40 years old, he’s posting numbers the NBA has never seen before.
On Tuesday night, James became the first player to score 50,000 combined points in both the regular season and postseason, surpassing the milestone with a 3-pointer early in the first quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' 136-115 victory over New Orleans.
James finished with 34 points, adding yet another achievement to his unparalleled career.
“That’s a lot of points,” James said, rubbing his beard in disbelief. “When I think about where I’m from, picking up the game as a kid and dreaming of playing at the highest level ... I’ve been able to do that and truly enjoy my career. It’s an honor, and it’s pretty cool to see.”
Already the NBA’s all-time top scorer in both regular season and playoffs, James is still playing at an extraordinary level in his 22nd season.
As he continues to pull away from the game’s greats, Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played 20 seasons, now stands a distant second with 44,149 combined points.
James got his milestone 3-pointer off an assist from Luka Doncic, a trivia tidbit that pleased both superstars.
Doncic's arrival in last month's seismic trade with the Dallas Mavericks has invigorated both James and the Lakers, who look like championship contenders with a seven-game winning streak and 17 victories in their last 20 games.
"It’s amazing, watching him do this stuff at this age,” Doncic said, who had 30 points, 15 assists, and eight rebounds against New Orleans. "It’s just unbelievable, that 50K points. I can’t even explain how insane that is. He might get to 70K. You never know.”
The Lakers recognized the milestone at the next timeout, with public address announcer Lawrence Tanter saying: "Ladies and gentlemen, we all have just witnessed history.” James acknowledged the standing ovation with several waves from the bench.
James is tied with Vince Carter for the most seasons played in NBA history. But while nearly every other NBA player who lasted to his late 30s finished at a fraction of his peak powers, James’ game shows no signs of decline in his 40s.
He was named the NBA’s Western Conference player of the month earlier Tuesday after averaging 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.2 steals in February while playing more than 35 minutes per game for the Lakers, who went 9-2 to surge into second place in the West.
With their victory over the Pelicans, the Lakers improved to 11-2 since acquiring Doncic.
James has played in 1,548 regular-season games, trailing only Robert Parish (1,611) and Abdul-Jabbar (1,560). If he stays healthy and elects to return for a record 23rd season, he will likely surpass Parish next winter.
James has also played in 287 postseason games, the most in NBA history. He became the league's career playoff scoring leader on May 25, 2017, when he surpassed Michael Jordan's total of 5,987 during the Cleveland Cavaliers' Eastern Conference finals game at Boston.
James became the top scorer in regular-season history on Feb. 7, 2023, when he topped Abdul-Jabbar's record of 38,387 points during the Lakers' game against Oklahoma City.
James' prolific scoring is due in large part to his metronomic consistency. With his performance against the Pelicans, he has scored at least 10 points in 1,278 consecutive games since Jan. 6, 2007 – by far the longest such streak in NBA history.
James' player of the month award for February was his 41st, extending his own league record. He is also the oldest player to win the award, surpassing a 37-year-old Karl Malone in November 2000.
