The Los Angeles Lakers superstar became the first player in NBA history to score 50,000 career points across both the regular season and playoffs after making a three-pointer in the first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans in front of an adoring home crowd at Crypto.com Arena.

The four-time NBA Most Valuable Player needed just one point to reach the achievement after having amassed 41,837 points in the regular season (first all-time) and 8,162 points in the playoffs (first all-time), equaling 49,999 combined entering Tuesday night?s game.

No other player in league history is within 5,000 points of the 50K mark. Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 44,149 combined points and sits in second place behind James on the all-time scoring list.

The closest active player to the mark is Phoenix Suns star forward Kevin Durant at 35,191 combined points heading into the Suns? Tuesday night game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

50K CAREER POINTS for the #ScoringKing in the regular season and playoffs combined!

Playing in his 22nd season, James remains one of the game?s best, averaging nearly 25 points, eight rebounds and more than eight assists per game for the Purple and Gold.

Earlier Tuesday, the 40-year-old was named Western Conference Player of the Month for February, after averaging 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.9 assists. He is the oldest player to win a Player of the Month award as he extended his NBA-record to 41 monthly honors.

James continues to defy Father Time as he nears the end of his career as one of the greatest players in the sport?s history. After surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?s regular season scoring record in 2023, James has pulled away from his competitors, becoming the first to reach 40,000 career points later that season.

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