Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is the first and only player to have hit the 50,000-point mark (regular season and playoffs combined) in the NBA. James reached that milestone back in March 2025 in a game against the New Orleans Pelicans, and he was asked about the moment and record on CGTN Sports Scene.
“It’s a microcosm of my career, of my hard work and dedication to my craft and my love for the game,” James said. “I put so many hours into trying to be the greatest … the best I can become. That moment there is a indication of that, of hard work paying off. It’s always pretty cool when you can have those moments that show that the work does pay off.”
James had surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most points in the regular season and playoffs combined back in February 2022 against the Golden State Warriors. Abdul-Jabbar had ended his iconic 20-year career with 44,149 points. He had racked up 38,387 in the regular season and 5,762 in the playoffs.
The regular-season scoring record was still Abdul-Jabbar’s at that time, but it wouldn’t be for too much longer. James became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in the regular season in February 2023 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He has since become the first player to hit the 40,000-point mark.
James now has 42,184 points to his name in the regular season and 8,289 in the playoffs. That amounts to 50,473 points in total, which is staggering. What’s incredible is that the 21-time All-Star isn’t done just yet either.
James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Lakers in 2024-25, his 22nd season in the NBA. The 40-year-old’s longevity is unlike anything we have ever seen, and he asked about the secret behind it.
“I don’t know, I think it’s my dedication,” James stated. “The man above has given me so many blessings, and then I just try to take full advantage of them by continuing to dedicate, continue not to cheat the game, continue to work on it, continue to work on my craft. I don’t know, just loyal to the game, loyal to the process.”
James has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, a scoring title, and an assists title in his 22 seasons. It’s an incredible resume, and even he couldn’t have imagined that he’d achieve all this.
“I can’t say that I would sit here and say that I would know my success 22 years later,” James said. “But I would be able to say that I knew that I would commit to my craft and I will be the greatest basketball player that I could be for me. And I wouldn’t cheat the process, I wouldn’t cheat the game.
“I can’t sit here and say I would know how many championships I will have or MVPs or All-Stars or Olympic medals, all that stuff,” James continued. “All that stuff comes with the preparation and the process, but I do know for sure that I would be as great as I could have been with what I was given in that moment.”
James will become the first player ever to play a 23rd season in the NBA in 2025-26. You’d expect him to be a force on the court yet again as he chases that fifth NBA championship.
