LeBron James is closing in on becoming the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 career points. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer is just 40 points shy of the milestone after an otherworldly fourth quarter in the Lakers’ win over the Clippers on Wednesday. He could get there as soon as Thursday versus the Wizards, but Saturday against the Nuggets seems more likely.
What better time to take a 40,000-foot view of his incredible scoring prowess over the years?
Here are 40 facts on LeBron’s quest to 40K, looking through the lens of several aspects, from his unparalleled longevity, to the unique ways he got there and of course, the downright bizarre, quirky and jaw-dropping stats.
Longevity
Let’s start with longevity. After all, we wouldn’t be here if LeBron didn’t have one of the longest (if not the longest) primes in sports history.
1. LeBron has scored at least 10 points in 1,203 straight games, easily the longest streak in NBA history, ahead of Michael Jordan (866). The last time he failed to score in double figures was on Jan. 5, 2007.
2. He’s ranked top 20 in the NBA in points per game in every season of his career, by far the longest streak (21 straight seasons) in NBA history (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is next with 17 straight seasons), and the longest “scoring prime” in modern sports history, as I discovered last year.
3. James is the youngest (21) and oldest (37) NBA player to average 30 points per game in a season.
4. He is the only player in NBA history with a 40-point game vs. all 30 teams.
5. He has a 40-point game in all but one season in his career (2015-16).
6. He is averaging as many points per 36 minutes this season (25.7) than in his career (25.7).
7. He has the 13 highest-scoring games in NBA history by a player in his 21st (or later) season.
8. He is averaging 25.2 points per game this season. Nobody else has had more than 7.4 PPG in their 21st (or later) season.
9. He scored 2,566 career points vs. the Seattle SuperSonics, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets and Charlotte Bobcats,…
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