The amount of time that LeBron James has spent dominating the NBA is something that many fans still struggle to comprehend. After all, many of the league’s younger fans may not have been alive when James entered the league as the biggest prospect of all time.
The 40-year-old veteran just broke another record and became the first player in the history of the NBA to reach 50,000 combined points in the regular and postseason. He achieved the feat during Tuesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, a little over a year after becoming the first man to reach 40,000 points in the regular season.
Magic Johnson Congratulates LeBron James on Historic Achievement
James needed just one point to reach the milestone entering the game against New Orleans. He found it on his first shot, connecting with a 3-pointer from Luka Doncic early in the first quarter.
LEBRON JAMES STARTS THE 50,000 POINTS CLUB 🚨👑
Counting regular season & playoffs…
Another spectacular feat for @KingJames! 👏 pic.twitter.com/7IP9MeQ0lz
— NBA (@NBA) March 5, 2025
Congratulatory messages were pouring in for King James from all over the world, and Lakers legend Magic Johnson also chimed in with a sweet note.
“Congratulations to the King LeBron James for becoming the only player in NBA history to score 50,000 regular season and playoff points,” he wrote.
Congratulations to the King LeBron James for becoming the only player in NBA history to score 50,000 regular season and playoff points! 👏🏾 https://t.co/fx5xo9Ss1E
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) March 5, 2025
James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, with 41,871 points in the regular season and 8,162 in the playoffs, and reaching the 50k milestone was a special moment for him.
“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.”
He finished the night with 34 points, eight rebounds, and six assists to lead the Lakers to a 136-115 win over the Pelicans, while Dončić contributed 30 points and 15 assists for another incredible stat line. Los Angeles has been on a dominant run since the arrival of the Slovenian from the Dallas Mavericks and moved to the second seed in the Western Conference following Tuesday’s win.
LeBron James’ Numbers After Turning 40 Are Nearly Identical to His Prime
Setting this kind of milestone doesn’t just take his incredible ability to score. James needed to be dominant on the court, successful enough to make deep playoff runs almost every year, and healthy enough to continue stacking games. Somehow, he’s managed to stave off Father Time.
While most players begin a steady decline in terms of impact and output by their mid-thirties, James has defied Father Time and is putting up numbers that are nearly identical to his 2012-2013 MVP season stats.
INSANE 🐐
(h/t @forumbluegold ) pic.twitter.com/hG1udnJwAL
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 3, 2025
With an insignificant decline in scoring, his production in other categories such as assists and rebounds — as well as his efficiency — have been better than his younger self.
One of the main reasons why James has been able to put up impressive numbers at this point in his career is the fact that he has completely adapted his game to the modern NBA.
Now that he has Doncic by his side, James may be able to find easier ways to score and have a bigger impact on the game despite growing older.
