LeBron James competes with the story. I have beat and the maximum annotation in the playoffs. But the longest and most regular player in the history of the American Basketball Professional League continues for posterity. This Tuesday, with its first basket in the Los Angeles Lakers match in front of the New Orleans Pelicans, it exceeded the 50,000 points bar, a brand impossible to beat in many years, perhaps decades, maybe never.
The King stayed on Sunday just one point to celebrate that milestone in his stadium, so it has been the New Orleans spectators who have witnessed the historical launch that has allowed him to overcome the bar, a triple after three and a half minutes of the game. He has also done so on the same day that the NBA has chosen best player of the West Conference of February. That in itself is another record, because with 40 years it becomes the oldest player to achieve it, surpassing Karl Malone, who was appointed best player in November 2000, at 37.
James thus achieves his 41st prize to the player of the month, another record, and the first since February 2020. In February, a month in which the Lakers won 10 wins against two losses, James averaged 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game, with 55.5% of success in field shots, including 44.3% in triples.
The Lakers player is going through a moment excellently. LeBron became the first player in the history of the NBA last month to add more than 40 points in more than one game with 40 years fulfilled. Michael Jordan is the only other 40 -year -old player who got more than 40 points, but only in a match, with a 43 goals on February 21, 2003.
LeBron James on February 7, 2023, after the brand remained for 39 years. Before that, on May 25, 2017, it exceeded the historical record record in playoffs by Michael Jordan, a brand that had remained for 19 years. Therefore, LeBron James also has the combined annotation record between league and postseason games.
The Los Angeles Lakers player arrived on Tuesday’s game with 49,999 points, only one from the symbolic ribbon of the 50,000. In the sum of regular season and playoffs, The second in history is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (44,149 points), followed by Karl Malone (411.689), Kobe Bryant (39,283) and Michael Jordan (38,279). Of active players, the next is Kevin Durant, with 35,191 points.
In the hands of LeBron James and the newly signed Luka Dončić, the Lakers have chained a streak of seven consecutive victories and have perched on the second position of the NBA west conference, just behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. 39 victories and 21 losses and direct classification for the playoffs It seems on track.
The presence of the Slovenian allows the veteran Lakers player not having to take responsibility for the game, but also seems to have rejuvenated him. They turn in the field, but they also combine well when they are both on the court. The generational relay seems guaranteed, but also the fans begin to dream of the feat of a new title before the withdrawal of the long player.
This is the 22nd season of LeBron in the NBA: seventh in the Lakers after 11 in Cleveland and four in Miami. LeBron James is one of the 11 players who have played 20 years in the NBA. There are seven who have been in the League and only him and Vince Carter have participated 22 seasons. If you play again next year, you will have the record solo. And nothing suggests for now a withdrawal. LeBron has an average of almost 25 points per game this season, it is 13th per annotation and the fifth for assists.
It has been four others the best of the finals (the four in which he was champion: 2012, 2013, 2016 and 2020), three times the best of the All Star match (in which he has played 20 years, another record, despite the fact that the last edition was lost due to injury). LeBron ranks first in total field shots scored, the second in total free throws scored, only behind Karl Malone, and the fifth in total triples scored, behind Stephen Curry, James Harden, Ray Allen and Klay Thompson.
With the victory of the Lakers against the Pelicans, James has tied with Tim Duncan in the third position of the classification of victories in regular season (1,001), only behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,074) and Robert Parish (1,014). He still has records to beat.
