LeBron James first with 50K points in NBA regular season, playoffs
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers’ 40-year-old superstar, LeBron James, became the NBA’s first 50,000-point man Tuesday night.
James came into the Lakers’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans needing just a single point to reach 50,000 combined points in the regular season and postseason. He reached the 50,000-point plateau on his first shot of the game against New Orleans, connecting on a 3-pointer from the left wing off a Luka Doncic feed to put the Lakers up 13-6 with 8:34 remaining in the first quarter.
During an ensuing timeout, Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter called out the accomplishment, telling the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen, we all have just witnessed history.”
The Lakers forward is the league’s all-time leader in both — with 41,837 points in the regular season prior to the Pelicans game, and 8,162 in the playoffs.
Coming into Tuesday, in 27 games since turning 40, James was averaging 26.1 points on 54.1% shooting (42.3% from 3), 8.2 rebounds and 8.1 assists.
James recently shared a graphic on Instagram showing how those averages compare favorably to his last MVP season in 2012-13, when he averaged 26.8 points on 56.5% (40.6% from 3), 8.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists for the Miami Heat.
The 22-year veteran reached the feat just hours after being named the NBA’s Player of the Month for the Western Conference for February. He averaged 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.9 assists and L.A. went 10-2.
“We wouldn’t be in the position we’re in without him playing at the level he’s been playing at,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said of James before the Pelicans game. “And that’s offensively and defensively.”
Redick also admitted the Lakers wouldn’t be in the position of celebrating James’ 50,000th point Tuesday if the league had properly recorded the points James scored in recent years in some of the new wrinkles to the schedule.
In three play-in tournament games played by 2021, 2023 and 2024, James scored a combined 75 points. Those points have not been added to James’ career playoff total. And in the in-season tournament championship game in 2023, James scored 24 points. Those points are not reflected in his regular season career total, either.
“I have a strong feeling towards the play-in tournament, that those little one-game scenarios are playoff games,” Redick said.
Source: espn.com