LeBron James became the first NBA player to reach 40,000 career regular-season points on Saturday, with the 39-year-old superstar scoring nine to achieve the milestone against defending champion Denver. James, who surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA’s all-time scoring mark just over a year ago, is a four-time NBA champion and four-time NBA Most Valuable Player as well as the league’s oldest active player, now in his 21st campaign. “It’s a huge, huge testament to all the work he’s put in over the years, how well he’s taken care of himself, the way he’s played at such a high level,” Lakers coach Darwin Hamm said of James before the game.
“That’s a hell of an accomplishment.”
After scoring five points in the first quarter, James sank a layup 14 seconds into the second quarter to pull within two of the milestone, then missed a free throw and a 3-point shot on the Lakers’ next possession.
James scored the historic basket with 10:39 left in the second quarter, banking in a driving layup from the left side of the basket.
The crowd gave James a standing ovation after making the kite. The ball James used to score the milestone hoop was put out of play.
James scored his first basket of the game on a fast break 6:20 into the first quarter to give the Lakers an 18-12 lead, then added a 3-pointer from the left corner 63 seconds later for a 23-14 advantage.
In anticipation of reaching the milestone, James said it won’t rank among his greatest accomplishments, but the 40,000-point mark is meaningful.
“No one has done that. And to be in this position at this point and time in my career, I think it’s pretty cool,” James said.
“Is it one of the best things I’ve done in my career? No. Does it mean anything? Of course. Why not?
“Hitting feats and achieving milestones throughout my career, they all mean something to me.
“Sure, there’s one shocking sequence that stands out more than the others, but I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say it doesn’t make sense. It absolutely does.”
The Lakers, 33-28, are 10th in the Western Conference, the final play-in spot, while the Nuggets are 41-19, third in the West but only one game behind pace-setting Minnesota.
In other games, Mikal Bridges scored 38 points to lead host Brooklyn over Atlanta 114-102, and Jimmy Butler scored 37 points to power the Miami Heat over visiting Utah 126-120.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
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