Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has set another historic milestone in his illustrious career, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most field goals scored in National Basketball Association history.
James achieved the feat during the first quarter of the Lakers’ 120–113 defeat to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. The 41-year-old scored 16 points in the game, moving past Abdul-Jabbar’s long-standing mark of 15,837 field goals.
The milestone adds to an already remarkable career for James, who is currently competing in an unprecedented 23rd NBA season. In February 2023, he overtook Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, and last year he became the first player to surpass 50,000 combined points across the regular season and playoffs. He now has 43,127 points in regular-season play alone.
Reflecting on the achievement, James said being mentioned alongside basketball’s legends remains a humbling experience.
“Being mentioned with some of the greatest to ever play this game has always been humbling,” he said. “I grew up watching, reading about and idolising a lot of the greats. If I was able to be part of the NBA, I wanted to put myself in a position where I could be named with them by doing something right. It’s a pretty cool feat, but it’s hard for me to kind of wrap my head around it or what it looks like.”
Lakers head coach JJ Redick compared the longevity and consistency of James’ career to legendary musician Bruce Springsteen.
“You get to the end and you’re like, ‘this guy’s greatest hits are insane’,” Redick said. “LeBron’s greatest hits—he just keeps adding to them. He just plays and plays and plays, and the greatest hits, he’s got a hell of a catalogue.”
While Abdul-Jabbar set his scoring records before the introduction of the three-point shot midway through his career, the six-time NBA champion finished his 20-year career with the Lakers in 1989 after converting 55.9 per cent of his 28,307 shot attempts. James currently holds a 51.6 per cent shooting rate.
The four-time NBA champion could soon break another milestone. Thursday’s game marked his 1,606th regular-season appearance, leaving him just five games behind Robert Parish for another league record.
James, who earned his 22nd All-Star selection this year, has yet to decide whether he will return for another season.
Despite his historic moment, the Lakers fell to the Nuggets, with Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray each scoring 28 points to help Denver maintain fifth place in the Western Conference standings, just ahead of the Lakers.
Elsewhere in the league, the San Antonio Spurs secured their 13th win in 14 games as Victor Wembanyama delivered a dominant performance with 38 points and 16 rebounds in a 121–106 home victory over the Detroit Pistons, who currently lead the Eastern Conference.
Melissa Enoch
Follow us on:
