It suffices to say that LeBron James has had quite an eventful career since he was drafted into the NBA with the first overall pick as an 18-year-old in 2003.
Recently, at 39 years old, he made history by becoming the first player in NBA history to reach the 40,000-career points mark. This milestone was achieved during the Los Angeles Lakers’ defeat to the Denver Nuggets last Saturday, where he scored 26 points, bringing his total career points to 40,017.
Currently in his 21st season in the NBA, James maintains impressive averages of 25.3 points per game, 7.0 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 1.3 steals, and Afrosport examines the remarkable numbers that have defined the career of one of the NBA’s all-time greatest players.
Titles – Four (4)
Across his two-decade-long career, where he has played for three franchises, James has won four NBA titles from the ten Finals he has participated in.
He teamed up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami to win the title with the Heat in 2012 and 2013. He went back home to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team that drafted him initially, and won the championship in 2016, the team’s first and only title to date.
James signed for the iconic Lakers in 2018 as a free agent, and he won his fourth title in 2020 in the COVID bubble, helping the Lakers to their 17th NBA championship.
League and Finals MVP – Four (4)
James has been voted Most Valuable Player of the Regular Season four times, joining Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain for the third most in history. He was crowned the league’s MVP in 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013—the first two as a Cavaliers player and the final two as a Heat.
LeBron has also won the NBA Finals MVP four times, sitting just second behind Michael Jordan (6) for the most in history. He won it twice with Miami and once each with the Cavs and Lakers.
James sits atop the list of players with the most points in the NBA, cementing his name as the league’s most potent scorer.
He broke the league’s all-time scoring record in February 2023, when he surpassed Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career total of 38,387, a record the legendary center held for almost 40 years. Since then, he has scored over 1,600 points more and he is the first NBA player to break the 40,000-point barrier in the NBA.
Total career assists – 10,847 (4th)
When many think of the name “LeBron James”, the alarm bells in their heads go off for this scoring prowess. However, he has shown over the years that he isn’t just all about the scoring, as he is one of the best facilitators in the league’s history.
James has racked up 10, 847 career assists so far, making him the player with the fourth-most in NBA history, and his numbers are extremely impressive as he is the only non-guard in the league’s all-time top 30 rankings.
Total career rebounds – 11,046 (31st)
LeBron is 31st in the all-time list for rebounds in NBA history with 11,046. He is one of the three active NBA players in the top 50 ranking for rebounds alongside Andre Drummond and DeAndre Jordan.
The Lakers man has a triple-double in his career numbers and he is the only player in NBA history with at least 10,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists.
Total career steals – 2,255 (8th)
Over the years, James has shown his desire to be not just one of the best offensive players in the NBA, but also one of the best on the defensive end.
He has accumulated 2,255 steals across his 21-year career, the eighth most in NBA history and the second most of any active players in the league, just behind Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul.
