He’s done it again—LeBron James, the ageless marvel from Akron, just hurdled another imaginary boundary in the NBA. With 34 points during the Los Angeles Lakers’ resounding home victory over the New Orleans Pelicans (136-115), the 40-year-old superstar didn’t just rack up another win—he soared past the stratospheric mark of 50,000 points, combining his regular season and play-off tallies. Time to check if that calculator is still working, because the King now sits at a jaw-dropping 50,033 points.
The King at 50,000: Breaking Every Expectation
March 4 will be circled in the history books—as if LeBron James really needed another date to remember. At age 40, he officially became the first NBA player ever to eclipse the 50,000-point barrier, regular season and play-offs combined. That puts him in an undisputed throne room, locked away from mere mortals.
- LeBron racked up 34 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in the historic match-up.
- He opened the contest at 49,999 points on the career tally board. Just three minutes and 26 seconds into the game, following a Luka Doncic assist, his three-pointer set the world alight and etched his name (again) in basketball folklore.
Of course, this is far from the first time LeBron’s rewritten what we thought possible. Two years ago, he took the crown as all-time NBA scoring leader, surpassing the sky hook king himself, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar—a record previously seen as unbreakable.
Standing Alone: The Unfathomable Numbers
The new summit LeBron’s reached is dizzying. To put it in perspective:
- Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (44,149) and Karl Malone (41,689) have crossed the 40,000 total point threshold at all, both now far behind LeBron.
- Kobe Bryant (39,283) and Michael Jordan (38,279) trail even further back in career points.
- In play-offs alone, James leads all-time with 8,162 points, far ahead of Michael Jordan’s 5,987 points.
- Since March 2024, he’s the first player to go beyond 40,000 points in regular season alone—again, rewriting the record books.
To make this run even more impressive, LeBron is on his 22nd NBA season. Most of us get tired climbing the stairs after lunch; LeBron is still soaring above defenders as a four-time NBA champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist—the third gold coming just last summer in Paris.
A Never-Ending Prime? LeBron’s Current Dominance
If you’re thinking, “He’s got to be slowing down at 40, right?”—think again. February saw James named the Western Conference’s best player, earning him his 41st such distinction (and the first in five years). This season, he’s averaging 24.8 points, having missed just four games so far. In February his average shot up to a stellar 29.3 points per game, which most twenty-something NBA stars would gladly swap for.
- LeBron and prodigious Luka Doncic form a duo that leaves opponents trembling—yes, even nowadays.
- The Lakers are sitting second in the Western Conference and are eyeing another championship run.
Any notion that James is in a gentle swan song has been thoroughly dunked on. There is even real hope for another NBA title—victory number five may be on the horizon.
Conclusion: The Legend Grows, the Records Fall
If LeBron James’ journey teaches us anything, it’s that age is just a number—especially when you’re putting up numbers never seen before. From Akron to the city of Angels, a 40-year-old “King” still dominates, inspires, and, most of all, keeps challenging our sense of what an athletic career can look like. Records have always been meant to be broken, but with LeBron at the top, future generations may need a ladder and a pair of his sneakers just to see them.
John is a curious mind who loves to write about diverse topics. Passionate about sharing his thoughts and perspectives, he enjoys sparking conversations and encouraging discovery. For him, every subject is an invitation to discuss and learn.
