LeBron James is officially the greatest scorer of all time in terms of total points scored, as he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Tuesday night. Amazingly, James has managed to play 20 seasons and accumulate a total of 38,390 total career points. His 38-point performance has essentially placed him in a stronger position in the GOAT debate, but does he have what it takes to be recognized as truly the greatest scorer ever?
That is debatable, but what isn’t debatable is how The King has become the number one leading scorer ever. Not to mention, he is in tremendous shape and has not slowed down at all when it comes to scoring the ball. Even at age 38, LeBron James is ranked 7th in the NBA at 30.2 PPG and is doing it at very solid efficiency from the field (50.8% FG). His three-point shooting (31.5%) has been inconsistent as usual, but at least his free throws are going in more than his career average (76.4%).
Seeing how great LeBron is as a scorer, he has a chance to build an insurmountable lead when it comes to the all-time scoring list. He is already number one, and he has not looked like age has set in just yet. Realistically, James can play another few seasons at least to build an unbelievable lead at the number one spot. But can we predict how many points LeBron will score before his career is over? We will go season by season, predicting that The King will play until the 2026 season, which would be difficult for him to accomplish but very possible. Let’s predict the total amount of points LeBron James will have at age 41 when he rides off into the sunset.
2022-23 NBA Season
Total Points: 38,390
Games Left: 26
Game He Will Play: 21
Point Average: 30.2 PPG
Total Points For The Rest Of The 2022-23 NBA Season: 634 Points
Total Points At The End Of The Season: 39,024
LeBron James is the record-breaker with 38,390 total points scorer at this moment in time. With 36 games left for the Los Angeles Lakers, it is possible that The King plays 31 out of those games and averages his current average of 30.2 PPG. After all, James is finding it too easy to score 30 points in the modern era.
Assuming he posts 30.2 PPG over the last 21 games of the 2023 season, James will end up with over 39,000 total points as he starts gaining a massive advantage over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for second place. LeBron is averaging over 50% shooting from the field this season, so it should be relatively easy for James to get over 39,000 points in a matter of weeks.
It might be reasonable that the Los Angeles Lakers won’t be able to make the playoffs, or if they do, they will be nothing more than a first-round exit from what we have seen from the Lakers so far this season. Even if Los Angeles just pulled off a blockbuster deal for former point guard D’Angelo Russell, it will be hard for the Lakers to gain the chemistry needed to push for the title. That essentially means that James won’t have to endure a long and hard playoff push and will be rested well for the 2023-24 NBA season.
2023-24 NBA Season
Total Points: 39,024
Games Played: 65
Point Average: 27.3 PPG
Total Points For The 2023-24 NBA Season: 1,774
Total Points At The End Of The Season: 40,798
The King will be 39 next year, quite amazingly. LeBron won’t have that much of a drop-off after this season because he is in tremendous shape and is still a top-10 player in the world. When it comes to scoring the ball, James has to be ranked among the top 10 as well right now. Even in the 2024 season, LeBron will manage to play 65 games because he will take games off and allow the likes of Anthony Davis and the newly signed D’Angelo Russell to prosper.
With James having more help next season, he won’t have to average 30 PPG but will likely drop to his career average of around 27 PPG. James will be a tad slower next season and won’t be much of an impactful defender, but he will shoot over 50% and remain one of the best drivers of the basketball. Remember, LeBron is around 250 lbs, and that won’t change over a year.
Expect James to have at least 40,700 points next season. That is quite incredible because no player has ever managed at least 40,000 points. LeBron is not considered the greatest scoring talent ever, as that honor generally goes to Michael Jordan, but scoring 41k points is a very impressive milestone.
2024-25 NBA Season
Total Points: 40,798
Games Played: 60
Point Average: 25.4 PPG
Total Points For The 2024-25 NBA Season: 1,524
Total Points At The End Of The Season: 42,322
LeBron James will hit 40 years old in the 2025 NBA season. That is simply unbelievable, and James should not be a dominant player at that age. Remember, the NBA is a young man’s game because speed, athleticism, and explosiveness are necessary to play both ends of the floor and handle the load of a long NBA season. That is the case for 99% of all players not named LeBron James.
James will be 40 years old, and while drop-off will be expected, it won’t be enough to force The King to average under 25 PPG if we predict correctly. The King will still be a 250-lb behemoth, and most of the time he will occupy the paint. We are already seeing James use his size and strength to score inside constantly, and especially in the finesse game we have right now, James will be stronger than most of the league at 40 years old. Have you ever heard of old man’s strength?
The King will end the 2025 NBA season with over 42,000 points and hit another milestone. We do not know what the Lakers roster will look like after two seasons, but it is assumed that James will have Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Max Christie, and Austin Reaves all playing heavy minutes. LeBron won’t have to carry the scoring as he has done this season, but he will post a little over 25 PPG to continue adding to his all-time great resume.
2025-26 NBA Season
Total Points: 42,322
Games Played: 54
Point Average: 23.9 PPG
Total Points For The 2025-26 NBA Season: 1,290
Total Points At The End Of The Season: 43,612
LeBron James might play until he is 42 years old, but to assume he is somewhat human, 41 years old could be the final age at which The King is in the NBA. At age 41, mid-way through the 2026 season, he won’t be able to truly compete with top-10 players in the NBA because he won’t have the speed, quickness, or athleticism to continue being a top-10 player in the game. Of course, you can never count out The King.
Assuming James struggled with some nagging injuries and needs more rest than ever before, he will likely play under 60 games for only the fifth time in his career. Even if he does not play a ton of games, he will average close to 24 PPG because he is still one of the strongest players in the game. James will therefore end the season with over 43,000 points, an amazingly impressive milestone. Can any player catch 43,000 points?
Most likely not. Nobody could have dreamed that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record would be broken, so let’s not make James’ record an unbreakable one. Expect young players such as Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, Devin Booker, Zion Williamson, or any young prospect that come to the NBA to chase that record. But they likely won’t be able to catch it because getting close to 44,000 points would take a near miracle, as a player would need to play at least 22 seasons and be a top-10 scorer of all time to achieve this. It is safe to say that LeBron James will likely hold the all-time scoring record forever, as he will exit the game with 43,612 points scored in what will be an emotional goodbye to the legend.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
