LeBron James on Tuesday night created a new layer of exclusivity by becoming the first player in NBA history to score 50,000 combined career points across both the regular season and postseason, Afrosport reports.
James, who entered the game at Cryto.com Arena with 49,999 career points, surpassed the mark with a 3-pointer in the first quarter of the Lakers’ 136-115 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The 40-year-old, in his 22nd NBA season, finished with 34 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, to take his regular season points record to 41,871. The four-time NBA champion also leads the league in postseason scoring with a total of 8,162 points.
“I’m not going to sit here and sugar-coat it – it’s a hell of a lot of points,” James said after the game. “I’m super blessed to be able to put up that many points in my career in the best league in the world and against the best players in the world – it’s pretty special.”
50K CAREER POINTS for the #ScoringKing in the regular season and playoffs combined!
Congrats, LeBron
pic.twitter.com/jseDpQwucc
— NBA (@NBA) March 5, 2025
He was named the Western Conference Player of the Month on Tuesday after averaging 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.2 steals in February, becoming the oldest player to earn the honours.
Luka Doncic poured in 30 points and 15 assists for his fifth double-double with the Lakers, and Jaxson Hayes added 19 points and 10 rebounds in their seventh straight win.
“I mean it’s amazing watching him do this stuff at this age,” said Doncic on James’ milestone. “It’s just unbelievable. Like 50K points. I can’t even explain just how insane that is. And he might get to 70K, you never know.”
Hall of Famer and Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is behind James in second place with a combined 44,149 career points.
