'Microcosm Of My Career, Of My Hard Work:' Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James Talks About Being Only Player In NBA History With 50,000 Combined Points In Regular Season, Playoffs

During his China tour with Nike, NBA superstar LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers did an interview with CCTV.

During the interview, James was asked to talk about being the only player in NBA history with 50,000 combined points in the regular season and playoffs.

“I don’t think it’s about the record,” James said. “I just think it’s a microcosm of my career, of my hard work and dedication to my craft and my love for the game. I put so many hours into trying to be the greatest, the best I can become. And that moment there is an indication of that, of hard work paying off.

“So it’s always pretty cool when you can have those moments that show that the work does pay off.”

James became the leading scorer in NBA history during the 2022-23 season, passing Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He’s also the leading scorer in playoff history.

A future Hall of Famer, James enters the 2025-26 season with career averages of 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Lakers. He’s a four-time MVP, a four-time champion, a four-time Finals MVP, a one-time scoring champion and a one-time assists champion. 

James, who grew up idolizing Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan, is the only player in NBA history to rank top five all-time in points and assists, the only player to win three Finals MVPs with three teams and the only player with 40,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 career assists.

It will be fascinating to see if James retires after next season or chooses to play in 2026-27. The Akron native averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.6 blocks for the Lakers last season in 70 games. He finished sixth in MVP voting and made the All-NBA Second Team.

James has one year left on his contract with the Lakers. He becomes an unrestricted free agent next offseason for the first time since 2018.