Wednesday night, LeBron James scored 34 points — 19 in the fourth quarter when he hit five 3-pointers — to lead a 21-point fourth-quarter comeback, and the Lakers beat the Clippers.
Thursday night, LeBron scored 31 points in the Lakers overtime win against the Wizards.
That brings LeBron to 39,991 points in his 21-year career, just nine short of becoming the first player in NBA history to reach the 40,000-point milestone. He should hit that Saturday in a nationally televised game when the Lakers host the Nuggets. After the game, LeBron said this about the accomplishment, via Jovan Buha at The Athletic.
“No one has ever done it. And for me to be in this position at this point and time in my career, I think it’s pretty cool. Does it sit at the top of the things I’ve done in my career? No. But does it mean something? Of course. Absolutely. Why wouldn’t it?
“To be able to accomplish things in this league, with the greatest players to ever play in this league, the NBA, this has been a dream of mine and to hit feats and have milestones throughout my career, they all mean something to me. Absolutely. Obviously, there’s a pecking order of which ones are higher than others, but absolutely. I would be lying to you if I said it doesn’t mean anything. Because it absolutely does.”
LeBron is having the best season ever of a 39-year-old, averaging 25.2 points, 7.9 assists and 7.1 rebounds a game with an insane 61.6 true shooting percentage. He became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer last season, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and has only continued to pad that number this season, scoring 1,339 points.
LeBron also continues to be the energy barometer for the Lakers — he has to play at a high level and bring elite shot creation for them to win. It’s not a great sign for the franchise that a 39-year-old has to be that guy, but LeBron is still more than up to the task and is playing at an All-NBA level again.
Saturday, LeBron will add to his legacy just a little bit more.
