LeBron James etched his name into NBA history Thursday night, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most field goals in league history, but the milestone came amid a 120-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets and a painful left elbow injury.
With 12 seconds left in the first quarter, James sank a turnaround 12-foot jumper over Zeke Nnaji, giving him 15,838 career field goals, one more than Abdul-Jabbar’s 15,837.
The Lakers superstar, now in his 23rd NBA season, reflected on the achievement with humility.
“My name being mentioned with some of the greatest to ever play this game has always been humbling and pretty cool,” James said. “I grew up idolizing the greats, and if I ever made it to the NBA, I wanted to do something worthy of being mentioned alongside them.”
James finished with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, eight assists, three steals, and a key block, keeping the Lakers close after Denver jumped to a 16-3 lead in a wire-to-wire win.
Lakers coach J.J. Redick lauded his star: “He’s been a complete player for 23 years. He’s just a phenomenal basketball player.” Nuggets star Nikola Jokic echoed the praise, calling James “definitely a legendary player.”
The milestone adds to a career already stacked with records.
James passed Abdul-Jabbar for total points in February 2023, holds the playoff scoring record, and has topped 50,000 combined points in regular season and postseason play.
He has attempted 31,274 field goals, far more than Abdul-Jabbar’s 28,307, and over 7,500 of those are 3-pointers, reflecting a modern evolution from Abdul-Jabbar’s low-post dominance and skyhook accuracy.
James’ night turned grim late in the fourth quarter.
After a layup that pulled Los Angeles to 110-106, he collided with Jokic, injuring his left elbow. He briefly exited, returned with 2:05 remaining while the Lakers trailed by one, but the team could not overcome Denver. “It’s pretty sore right now. Feels like a funny bone situation,” James said, adding he would monitor it over the coming days.
Elsewhere, DeAndre Ayton left in the first quarter with a knee injury, while Luka Doncic contributed 27 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists for the Lakers, though he picked up his 15th technical foul of the season.
Jamal Murray led Denver with 28 points, supported by Julian Strawther’s 18 and Christian Braun’s 15, helping the Nuggets maintain control despite missing four top forwards.
