LeBron James 40,000: 5 Unbreakable NBA Records Held by the Lakers Star

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is one of the most recognizable faces of the modern NBA. Much of it is in part due to the 21 years that the player has devoted to the league, during which time he won four championships, and four MVP titles and established several records that will continue to be the pinnacle that aspiring players aim to reach for many years to come. With the 2023-24 regular season underway, LeBron continues to lead the Lakers and is just one game away from establishing a brand new milestone: becoming the first player in the history of the NBA to cross the 40,000 points threshold.

As the focus of the world is fixated on LeBron James and the new chapter that he is set to add to the history books of the NBA, this would be a perfect time to look back at the other unbreakable records that the player has created over the past two decades.

Securing the NBA All-Time Scoring Record

We would be remiss if we talked about the 40,000 points milestone but chose to ignore this feat.

History was made on the 5 of April 1984, when another Lakers legend by the name of Kareem Abdul Jabbar passed Wilt Chamberlain to establish the NBA All-Time Scoring record. Ironically, it also happened to be the same year when LeBron James was born. Even though the latter started out quite young and established many of his scoring milestones very early in his career, it still took him two decades of patience and hard work to reach the threshold of 38,387 points established by Jabbar. The moment finally occurred during the last season as LeBron, in the presence of Jabbar, pulled off a two-pointer to create the most iconic feat not only in the history of the NBA but also in the history of all sports.

With the record currently standing at 39,991 points and continuing to grow with each game, fans will have to wait for many years before a player can even come close to reaching that number in their prime.

Being selected to 19 All-Star teams

Apart from a championship ring and an MVP title, the single greatest achievement that an NBA player can secure for himself is being selected to the All-Star team. For many years, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant had established the glass ceiling for this record with their 19 and 18 selections respectively. It all changed when LeBron James pushed himself forward and broke this record barely a month ago by bringing his total to 20.

Apart from James, the only other Active players on the top 30 list are Kevin Durant and Chris Paul. Durant, who is 35 years of age, may still hold a chance to come close to the Lakers star but the odds of doing so seem quite unlikely.

Securing the NBA All-Time Playoff Scoring Record

While LeBron James took time to cross Jabbar’s All-Time Scoring Record, he didn’t have to wait that long to cross another record established by Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan. The six-time NBA champion had scored a whopping 5,987 points during his playoff games alone. That record remained untouched for 21 years until LeBron crossed it in 2017. With almost 8,023 points to his name now, there is a good chance that no player in at least this decade will come close to being on the same level as King James.

Possessing the Longest streak of 10+ point games in a regular season

Back in 2007, a 22-year-old LeBron scored just 8 points during a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. Little did people know that it would probably be the last time that the player would score less than 10 points during the regular season, with him continuing to maintain a streak of 1200+ games. The only other active player on the list is Kevin Durant, and he is not even halfway there with his record of 562 games.

Won the Finals MVP titles with the most teams

LeBron James’ long tenure with the NBA allowed him to alternate between four different teams and giving him the opportunity to shine with each one of them. Despite the fact that each of them had their own unique culture, and their own style of playing, the 39-year-old managed to excel in every one of them. This allowed him to win two NBA titles with the Miami Heat, one with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and one with the Los Angeles Lakers, and secure the Finals MVP title in each championship.

LeBron James’ basketball journey has been a long one, filled with memorable moments that continue to be the envy of every other player out there. While we may not know how long the same will last, we are fortunate enough to be a part of this generation who saw the player rise through the ranks and claim his lonesome place at the top of the world.

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