Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 career points on March 2 against the Denver Nuggets.
LeBron is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. He passed Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar last season.
The Nuggets spoiled LeBron’s historic night by defeating the Lakers, 124-114. LAL has lost eight straight games to Denver.
“For me, the main thing is always the main thing, and that’s the win,” LeBron said. “I hated that it had to happen in the defeat, especially versus the team that plays extremely well. We played some good basketball tonight, but wasn’t able to close it out. So, bittersweet but enjoyed every moment tonight on the floor.”
LeBron finished with 26 points, four rebounds and nine assists versus the Nuggets. The Lakers dropped to 33-29 after the loss.
“I feel like I’m still that threat out on the floor and I am still able to do the things that I was doing 10 years ago,” LeBron said. “And some things I was doing 20 years ago, which is weird to say. … Obviously we have a lot of great guys in our league that can score the ball, and if they were to stay healthy and they would play a long time, then they can eclipse it.
“And then, records are always meant to be broken. You can never say never for any record. At one point we said that Big O’s [Oscar Robertson ] triple-double record would never be broken and Russ [Russell Westbrook] did it, and now looks like Joker [Nikola Jokic] and Luka [Doncic], they’re doing it every night.”
A 20-time All-Star, LeBron is first in NBA history in points, second in field goals, fourth in assists, ninth in steals, fifth in triple-doubles, seventh in points per game, third in player efficiency rating and eighth in 3-point field goals.
LeBron is the only player in NBA history to rank top five all-time in both points and assists. He’s also the only player to have at least 40,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 career assists.
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