In a historic achievement, LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to surpass 50,000 career points, solidifying his status as the league’s all-time leading scorer. Entering Tuesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans with 49,999 regular and postseason points, the 40-year-old superstar wasted no time reaching the milestone.
After a 17-point performance in Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers, James received a pass from Luka Doncic and drilled a sublime 25-foot three-pointer, lifting his total to 50,002 points as the Crypto.com Arena erupted in celebration.
This record-breaking moment further distances him from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s previous career total of 44,149 points, with Karl Malone (41,689) and the late Kobe Bryant (39,283) trailing behind. Michael Jordan, ranked fifth with 38,279 points, remains far from James’ lofty tally. Among active players, only Kevin Durant, with just over 35,000 points, features in the top 10.
NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate James, calling him “the only player in NBA history to score 50,000 regular season and playoff points.”
The scoring milestone coincided with another record for James, who was recently named Western Conference Player of the Month for February—the oldest player ever to win the award. His stellar performance in February, where he averaged 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists, has propelled the Los Angeles Lakers on a six-game winning streak and vaulted them into second place in the Western Conference standings, as they chase their first NBA championship since the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season.
