LeBron James has made NBA history, becoming the first player ever to score 50,000 career points. The Los Angeles Lakers star reached this unprecedented milestone on Tuesday, extending his lead as the NBA’s all-time top scorer in a record that could remain unchallenged for years to come.
Heading into the game against the New Orleans Pelicans, James needed just one point to hit the 50,000 mark after a 17-point performance in Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers. It didn’t take long for the 40-year-old basketball legend to reach the landmark. Early in the game, James received a pass from Luka Doncic and sank a beautiful 25-foot three-pointer, moving his total to 50,002 points as the Crypto.com Arena erupted in celebration.
This achievement comes after James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s long-standing regular-season scoring record of 38,387 points in 2023. James is now nearly 6,000 points ahead of Abdul-Jabbar’s career total of 44,149 points, with Karl Malone ranking third at 41,689 points, and the late Kobe Bryant fourth with 39,283 points.
Michael Jordan rounds out the top five with 38,279 career points. Among active players, only Kevin Durant, with over 35,000 points, is within striking distance, though he still trails James by a significant 15,000 points.
As LeBron continues his 22nd season in the NBA, this record sets him further apart as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.
