Now in his 21st NBA season, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is one of the most successful players in NBA history with four Kia MVPs, four Finals MVPs, four NBA titles, 20 All-Star appearances and 19 nods in the All-NBA.
A talent who can rack up triple-doubles with ease, James has in recent years surpassed his idol, Michael Jordan, and friend, Kobe Bryant, to move into third place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Then in the 2022-23 season, he passed Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the No. 1 all-time spot.
As James continues to climb the NBA record books, here’s a look back at some of the regular season scoring milestones from his career.
1. Points for the first time in his career
When: October 29, 2003
The hype surrounding LeBron James, the No. 1 pick in the 2003 Draft, was immense before he ever set foot on an NBA court. In the first game of his NBA career, he made a 16-foot jumper off an assist from Ricky Davis for his first career points. An 18-year-old rookie, James finished with 25 points, six rebounds and nine assists in a 106-92 loss to the Sacramento Kings.
2. Youngest ever to score 5,000 career points
When: January 21, 2006
By torching the Utah Jazz for 51 points in the 2005-06 season, James became the youngest player ever to reach 5,000 career points. A 21-year-old James needed 45 points to pass Bryant as the youngest ever to reach 5,000. Bryant was 22 when he scored his 5,000th point.
3. LeBron reaches 10,000 career points
When: February 27, 2008
James returned from an ankle injury in the first half to score 26 and become the youngest player in NBA history to reach 10,000 points. James reached the milestone at the age of 23 years and 59 days, more than a year younger than Bryant when he reached the milestone in 2003 (24 years, 193 days). It took James 368 games to do it—the ninth-fastest in league history.
4. He becomes the Cavs’ all-time leading scorer
When: March 21, 2008
James passed Brad Dougherty as Cleveland’s career leading scorer in the first quarter and finished with 29 points. The sellout crowd at Quicken Loans Arena (now renamed Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse) immediately rose to give James a standing ovation, and when then-head coach Mike Brown called a timeout, the All-Star forward went to the bench to receive a high-five and hugs from his teammates.
5. LeBron reaches 15,000 career points
When: March 19, 2010
James scored points Nos. 15,000 and 15,001 on free throws with 6:39 left in the first quarter. He scored 13 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls, giving him 15,026 career points at the end of the game. James’ achievement of the mark eclipsed several other scoring milestones in the 2009-10 season, including 13,000 points (on October 27, 2009 vs. the Celtics) and 14,000 points (on January 2, 2010 vs. the Nets).
6. LeBron reaches 20,000 career points
When: January 16, 2013
Sinking a jumper with 2:45 left in the second quarter, James increased his career scoring total to 20,001, becoming the 38th player in NBA history to join that club. And, in doing so, he became the youngest player ever to reach that milestone.
7. Scores 61 points
When: March 3, 2014
James had an NBA career high, scoring 61 points to lead the Miami Heat in a 124-107 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. James shot 22-for-33 from the field, including his first eight three-point attempts.
8. The youngest to reach 25,000 points
When: November 2, 2015
James scored his 25,000th and 25,001th points on an alley-oop by Matthew Dellavedova with 8:07 left in the fourth quarter. He had a near triple-double in the win (22 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds) and, in doing so, became the sixth active player with 25,000 points and the 20th player overall.
9. LeBron joins 30,000 point club
When: January 23, 2018
James became the seventh player with 30,000 career points when he hit a jumper with one second left in the first quarter of the Cavaliers’ 114-102 loss to the Spurs. James, 33, joined Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points), Karl Malone (36,928), Bryant (33,643), Jordan (32,292), Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) and Dirk Nowitzki (30,808 at the time). 30,000 point scorer.
10. LeBron’s double-digit scoring record
When: March 30, 2018
James reached double figures in scoring for the 867th consecutive game, breaking Jordan’s all-time record. The last time James failed to score at least 10 points was on January 5, 2007, when he scored eight points on 3-of-13 shooting against the Milwaukee Bucks.
11. LeBron passes Wilt
When: November 14, 2018
James reached 31,420 career points with an and-1 free throw in the fourth quarter to pass Chamberlain. He finished with a season-high 44 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in the Lakers’ 126-117 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. His 44 points were the most by a Laker in one game since the late Kobe Bryant’s 60-point performance in the final game of his career.
12. LeBron passes Jordan for #4
When: March 6, 2019
James scored his 32,293 career points on a driving layup against the Denver Nuggets. In doing so, he passed Jordan for the No. 4 spot on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. At the time, James trailed only Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points), Malone (36,928) and Bryant (33,643).
13. LeBron passes Kobe for #3
When: January 25, 2020
James entered the game in Philadelphia 18 points shy of Bryant and a right-handed layup gave him 33,644 career points. Bryant congratulated James via Twitter shortly after his historic basket. That tweet would prove to be the last social media post from the Hall of Famer, who died along with eight others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
We continue to advance the game @KingJames. With much respect my brother 💪🏾 #33644
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 26, 2020
14. LeBron scores 10+ points in 1,000th consecutive game
When: December 30, 2020
James celebrated his 36th birthday and became the first player in NBA history to have 1,000 consecutive games with at least 10 points. His second-quarter buzzer beater in San Antonio gave him 11 points for the game, marking his 1,000th straight game in double figures.
15. LeBron passes Malone for #2
When: March 19, 2022
James entered the Lakers’ road game against the Wizards needing 19 points to pass Hall of Famer and Utah Jazz legend Malone for No. 2 on the all-time scoring list. After a six-point first quarter, James continued to score in the second that included a dunk and three 3-pointers. The last of those 3 brought him even with Malone. He then made a backdoor layup with 5:20 left in the fourth to go ahead.
16. LeBron becomes the NBA’s all-time leading scorer
When: February 7, 2023
James became the NBA’s career scoring leader with a step-back late in the third quarter against the Thunder, giving him 16 points in the period, a game-high 36 and 38,388 for his illustrious career – now more than anyone else player in NBA history. .
17. LeBron reaches 40,000 career points
When: March 2, 2024
In a primetime battle on ABC against Kia’s two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, James entered the game needing just nine points to reach the milestone. That moment came early, driving past a defender for a smooth layup early in the second quarter to reach the peak of 40 thousand. James finished the game with 26 points in a 124-114 loss.