As the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 points, LeBron James, aka the King, accomplished a significant milestone.
LeBron James, the veteran star of the Los Angeles Lakers, became the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 points in a regular season.
In the NBA game on Sunday, James made NBA history by making the game-winning basket in the Denver Nuggets’ 123-114 victory at Crypto.com Arena.
“Being the first player to do something, it’s pretty cool in this league, just knowing the history, the greats that’s come through the league and then you see some of the greats on the floor tonight, it was great to compete,” James said, “But for me, the main thing, as always, is to win, and I hated that it had to happen in a defeat.”
With 38,387 points, former Lakers player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is ranked second on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Karl Malone, another former star, is ranked third with 36,928 points from the NBA’s regular season.
In addition, the date March 2 holds special significance in NBA history because it was on this day in 1962 that the late great basketball player Wilt Chamberlain accomplished the NBA record-setting feat of scoring 100 points in a regular season game.