LeBron James becomes first NBA player to score 40,000 points

Anthony Valmoria
Mar 3 2024

The King has made NBA history yet again.

LeBron James just became the first player in NBA history to reach 40,000 points, a testament to his 21 years of sustained excellence on the basketball court.

James achieved the historic feat at the 10:39 mark of the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Denver Nuggets. He scored a left-handed layup off a spin move on Michael Porter Jr. 

The Lakers took a timeout after the basket to acknowledge James’ feat, and the crowd at Crypto.com arena showered him with applause.

The 39-year-old James became the league’s all-time leading scorer around this time last year against the Oklahoma City Thunder, surpassing the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

James is also the only player in NBA history to record 40,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists – and it's unlikely we'll ever see another player join the 40K-10K-10K club.

With James expressing interest in playing with or against his son Bronny in the NBA, he will likely continue racking up points with no signs of slowing down even at 39.