James got to 49,999 points Sunday night when he scored 17 points while the Lakers beat the Clippers 108-102 for their sixth consecutive win.
The 40-year-old James already has become the top scorer in NBA history in both the regular season and in the playoffs during a career in which he has rewritten all previous definitions of basketball longevity.
James will reach 50,000 combined points deep in his 22nd season, which ties him with Vince Carter for the most played in NBA history.
Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played 20 seasons, is second in NBA history with 44,149 combined points.
James began Tuesday at third in NBA history with 1,547 regular-season games played, trailing only Robert Parish (1,611) and Abdul-Jabbar (1,560). If he stays healthy and elects to return for a record 23rd season, he will likely surpass Parish next winter.
James has also played in 287 postseason games, the most in NBA history. He became the league's career playoff scoring leader on May 25, 2017, when he surpassed Michael Jordan's career total of 5,987 during the Cleveland Cavaliers' Eastern Conference finals game in Boston.
James then became the top scorer in regular-season history on Feb. 7, 2023, when he topped Abdul-Jabbar's record of 38,387 points during the Lakers' game against Oklahoma City.
James' prolific scoring is due in large part to his metronomic consistency. With his performance against the Clippers, he has scored at least 10 points in 1,277 consecutive games since Jan. 6, 2007 — by far the longest such streak in NBA history.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP