1f04.jpg "LeBron James career stats: Lakers star becomes first NBA player to reach 39,000 points")
LeBron James continues to rewrite the record books
Just nine months after becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer, James crossed another milestone off the list as the first-ever NBA player to score 39,000 career points.
In his 21st season, James is doing things that go against all conventional wisdom. Through 14 games, the 38-year-old is averaging 25.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 58.7 percent from the field and 41.0 percent from the 3-point line.
Tonight against the Jazz, he made history, crossing the 39,000-point mark with this triple in the first quarter.
With this triple LeBron James has now scored 39,000 points in his NBA career 👏
— NBA (@NBA) November 22, 2023
🏆 NBA In-Season Tournament
🏀West Group A action on TNT pic.twitter.com/xfRaMOE1f7
Here is James' place in history and where he stands in the pursuit of another scoring milestone.
MORE: How LeBron James is still performing at an elite level
LeBron James career points
Following Tuesday's win over the Jazz, LeBron James now has 39,012 career points. The all-time scoring leader, James has scored over 11,000 more points than the next-highest active player, 35-year-old Kevin Durant.
NBA all-time scoring leaders
| Rank | Player | Points |
| 1. | LeBron James* | 39,012 |
| 2. | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 38,387 |
| 3. | Karl Malone | 36,928 |
| 4. | Kobe Bryant | 33,643 |
| 5. | Michael Jordan | 32,292 |
| 6. | Dirk Nowitzki | 31,560 |
| 7. | Wilt Chamberlain | 31,419 |
| 8. | Shaquille O'Neal | 28,596 |
| 9. | Carmelo Anthony | 28,289 |
| 10. | Moses Malone | 27,409 |
| 11. | Elvin Hayes | 27,313 |
| 12. | Kevin Durant* | 27,331 |
* - active
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When will LeBron James reach 40,000 career points?
LeBron James entered the 2023-24 season with 38.562 career points, 1,348 points shy of 40,000. Through his first 14 games, James' average of 25.7 points netted him 360 points on the season.
Health is paramount to James' success and he has only missed one game through the first four weeks of the season. Here is what James needs to do in order to score the 988 points needed to reach the 40,000 mark and how long it would take:
- If LeBron James averages 25.0 points per game… he would score 988 points in roughly 40 games
- If LeBron James averages 25.7 points per game (season average)… he would score 988 points in roughly 38 games
- If LeBron James averages 27.2 points per game (career average)… he would score 988 points in roughly 36 games
Since joining the Lakers, James has played in an average of 55.6 games per season. At 38, James will likely have scheduled games to sit out of during the Lakers' season, which could delay his pursuit of 40,000 points.
The Lakers will play their 55th game of the season against the Warriors on Thursday, Feb. 22.