LeBron James’s recent achievement of surpassing 40,000 career points while wearing a Lakers jersey has solidified his legacy as one of the greatest players in NBA history. Despite the milestone occurring in games that ended in losses for the Lakers, James’s impact on the court and his ability to defy age have been remarkable.
The question arises as to whether any other player will reach the 40,000-point milestone, given the abundance of offensive talent in today’s NBA. When asked about this possibility, James expressed uncertainty but acknowledged that it would require a combination of longevity, health, productivity, and skill.
“I have no idea,” James said. “Obviously you have to play the game for quite a while and have some good luck as far as injuries and things of that nature. You have to take care of your body. You have to be present on the floor. And then you have to be productive as well. Obviously, we have a lot of great guys in our league that can score the ball, and if they were to stay healthy and they were to play a long time, then they could eclipse it.”
While acknowledging the talent in the league, James emphasized that records are meant to be broken, citing examples such as Russell Westbrook’s breaking of Oscar Robertson’s triple-double record and the consistent performances of players like Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic. He also reflected on his own experience of surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record, emphasizing the importance of luck, longevity, and sustained high-level performance.
“But you can’t account for what could possibly happen,” he said. “So I can’t sit here and say who would it be in our league today. And then records are always meant to be broken. You can never say never of any record.”
“At one point we said that Big O’s triple-double record would never be broken, and Russ did it. and now looks like Joker and Luka, they’re doing it every night. Certain things that you don’t think that’s gonna happen, but I guess for years people said Kareem’s record would never be broken, I was able to eclipse it. Like I said, you have to have some really good luck, you have to play at a high level for a long time. But we’ll see.”
Regarding his future with the Lakers, there has been speculation about James’s potential departure, especially with his player option approaching this summer. However, former Lakers champion Metta World Peace believes that James is unlikely to leave Los Angeles due to factors such as the favorable weather and the team’s potential to compete for another championship with the addition of one key player.