LeBron James became the first NBA player to reach 40,000 regular season points on Saturday night, extending his league career scoring mark during the Lakers 124-114 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com arena.
James passed the mark with a driving left hand layup early in the second quarter. There was no stop in play, but the mark was acknowledged during an ensuing timeout with a video tribute.
The night began with James needing nine points to hit 40,000. Last year, he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most career points in NBA history.
Counting playoff and regular-season points, James had already eclipsed 40,000 points — he had 48,014 entering Saturday. However, he’s the first to accomplish the feat in regular season play.