NBA star LeBron becomes second player to score 38,000 points
LeBron James became only the second player in NBA history to score 38,000 career points on Sunday as he inches closer to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time record.
- Agencies and A News / Sport
- Published Date: 11:01 AM 16 January 2023
- Updated Date: 11:06 AM 16 January 2023
James, playing in his 20th NBA season, needed 11 points to reach 38,000 points and hit a mid-range jumper in the first quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' home game against the Philadelphia 76ers to move past the milestone.
James eventually finished with 35 points but it was a bittersweet night as the Lakers lost 113-112.
The 38-year-old forward, who started his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers and also played for the Miami Heat, has averaged 29 points per game this season.
A four-times champion and four-times MVP, James is on course to break former Lakers center Abdul-Jabbar's 34-year-old record of 38,387 points in the coming weeks.
When James turned 38 last month, Abdul-Jabbar had wished him happy birthday with the message: "38 is the new 38,388."
James is now 363 points behind Abdul-Jabbar and based on his scoring average, NBA statisticians expect him to break the record before the All-Star break next month.
In January 2006, the 38-year-old became the youngest-ever NBA player to reach 5,000 career points.
He reached the 10,000-point milestone in 2008, at 23, and in 2013 he entered the 20,000-point club.
In January 2018, LeBron dropped more than 30,000 points, with only seven players in NBA history to date.
He has a career-scoring average of 27.2 points per game.