LeBron Hits 50K
The new heights keep coming for the Legendary LeBron James as he became the NBA’s first 50,000-point man Tuesday night.
By Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer
The new heights keep coming for the Legendary LeBron James as he became the NBA’s first 50,000-point man Tuesday night.
The 40-year-old James came into the Lakers’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans needing a point to reach 50,000 combined points for his career in the regular season and postseason. He reached the milestone on his first shot, connecting on a 3-pointer from the left wing off a pass from Luca Doncic that put the Lakers up 13-6 with 8:34 remaining in the first quarter.
During an ensuing timeout, Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter called out the accomplishment, telling the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen, we all have just witnessed history.”
James finished with 34 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in Los Angeles’s 136-115 win. The Lakers have rolled recently, winning 17 of 20 to move into second place in the Western Conference at 39-21.
In 28 games since turning 40, James is averaging 26.4 points on 54.1% shooting (42.3% from 3), 8.2 rebounds, and 8.1 assists.
“It’s a hell of a lot of points, and I’m super blessed to be able to put that many points up in the best league in the world with the best players in the world over my career,” James told Spectrum SportsNet in an on-court interview after the game. “It’s pretty special.”
James went 10-of-18 from the floor and 5-of-10 on 3-pointers, shooting better than 50% from the floor for the sixth time in his past seven games. Doncic had 30 points on 9-of-19 shooting (6-of-13 on 3s), 15 assists, and 8 rebounds as he and James became the first pair of Lakers teammates to score 30 apiece with five or more 3s in the same game in franchise history.
“It’s amazing,” Doncic said of James. “Watching him do this stuff at this age, it’s just unbelievable. Like 50K points? I can’t even explain how insane that is. He might get to 70K; you never know.”
The 22-year veteran reached the 50,000-point milestone just hours after being named the Western Conference Player of the Month for February, when he averaged 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists, and Los Angeles went 10-2. He is the oldest player to earn Player of the Month honors.
