Not many players have what it takes to play 19 seasons in a professional sports league, but that's exactly what LeBron James is set to do starting October 19th. His ability to remain both dominant and healthy for the majority of those 18 previous years has helped him leave his mark on the NBA, and that trend will continue in year 19. Let's take a look at some of the all-time rankings that James is positioned to climb up, assuming he is able to stay healthy all season.
Points
- Current rank: 3) 35,367
- Next up: Karl Malone - 2) 36,928
- Avg needed to surpass (over 82 games): 19.03 points per game
There is a great chance that LeBron could end his NBA career as the top scorer of all time, but that won't happen in year 19. Odds are that he will at least surpass Karl Malone at some point in the season, needing only an average of 19 points per game to accomplish the feat. This will be a fun storyline to follow in the second half of the season.
Assists
- Current rank: 8) 9,696
- Next up: 7) Oscar Robertson - 9887
- Avg needed to surpass: 2.33 assists per game
This is an interesting one, as James is poised to move up multiple spots next season. He should have no problem passing Oscar Robertson in the first half of the season, which will lead to two fun chases later on in the year. LeBron will only need to average 5.43 assists per game to pass Magic Johnson and 7.06 to pass Chris Paul to climb to 5th all-time by season's end. Both numbers are easily attainable by the King, and we should see him climb 3 spots in the assists department.
Regular Season Minutes Played
- Current Rank: 6) 50,054
- Next up: 5) Jason Kidd - 50,116
- Avg needed to surpass: 0.75 minutes per game
LeBron should move up this list in the second or third game of the season, so let's look at the others that LeBron could pass this season. Kevin Garnett (50,412) currently holds the 4th spot and should be passed easily as well, which leads us to Dirk Nowitzki at number 3. With 51,367 regular season minutes logged in his career, Dirk would need LeBron to average less than 16 minutes per game to hold that spot. This will be the highest James can climb here, however, as he would need to average an impossible 58.5 minutes per game to pass Karl Malone for #2 overall. That's a record that would have to wait for a potential 20th season.
Up next: Paul Pierce Hated Talking About LeBron 'All the Time' at ESPN
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