LeBron James became on Tuesday the first player in NBA history to reach 50,000 combined points in the regular season and playoffs.
The star scored a total of 34 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 136-115 on Tuesday.
James surpassed the milestone with a triple early in the game.
Lakers fans gave James a standing ovation moments later, which he acknowledged by raising a hand.
“I mean, there are a lot of points,” said James after the game, while rubbing his beard, visibly amazed. “Obviously, the first thing that comes to mind is where I come from. I embraced this sport when I was a little kid, I loved this game and hoped to be able to play at the highest level someday.”
“Definitely it is an honor. It is quite good to see this.”
He had reached 49,999 points on Sunday night when he scored 17 in the Lakers' sixth consecutive victory, 108-102 over their neighbors the Clippers.
The 40-year-old player has already become the all-time leading scorer in NBA history in both the regular season and playoffs, during a career in which he has rewritten all previous definitions of longevity in basketball.
James reached 50,000 combined points in his 22nd season, tying him with Vince Carter for the most seasons played in NBA history.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, another Lakers legend who played for 20 seasons, holds the second place in NBA history with a combined 44,149 points.
Practically any basketball player who approaches the age of 40 arrives with a lower percentage of the abilities they had at their peak. However, James shows no signs of decline even in his 40s.
On the same Tuesday, he was named the Player of the Month in the West, after averaging 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.2 steals in February, averaging over 35 minutes per game with the Lakers, who had a record of 9-2 and climbed to the second spot in the conference.
James started on Tuesday in third place in NBA history with 1,547 regular season games played, only behind Robert Parish (1,611) and Abdul-Jabbar (1,560). If he stays healthy and decides to come back for a historic 23rd season, he is likely to surpass Parish next winter.
James has also played in 287 playoff games, the most in NBA history. He became the league’s all-time leading scorer in playoff history on May 25, 2017, when he surpassed Michael Jordan’s total of 5,987 points during the Eastern Conference Finals game of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Boston.
Later, on February 7, 2023, James became the all-time leading scorer in regular season history when he surpassed Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points during the Lakers' game against Oklahoma City.
James' prolific production is largely due to his consistency. With his performance against the Clippers, he has scored at least ten points in 1,277 consecutive games since January 6, 2007, the longest streak of its kind in NBA history.
The Player of the Month award was the 41st achieved by James, extending his own record. He is also the oldest player to win the award, surpassing Karl Malone, who was 37 years old in November 2000 when he last won it.
Luka Doncic scored 30 points, 15 assists, and eight rebounds for the Lakers, who have won 17 out of 20 games and have moved into second place in the Western Conference with a record of 39-21.
Jaxson Hayes contributed 19 points, his season-high, and added ten rebounds for Los Angeles, who won their second consecutive game without injured starters Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.
Zion Williamson scored 37 points for the Pelicans, who are in 14th place and finished with a 2-2 record on an encouraging road trip. Trey Murphy III added 19 points.
Bronny James played the last 4:01, scoring two points on his first action in the NBA since February 12th.