40K: LeBron hits latest milestone
In front of an enthusiastic crowd at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night, LeBron James became the first NBA player to reach 40,000 points.
James drove past Michael Porter Jr. and hit a layup with 10:39 left in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Denver Nuggets for the historic basket.
James received a standing ovation at the next timeout, while coach Darvin Ham gave him a congratulatory pat on the chest. There was an in-arena video presentation, which was preceded and followed by James raising the ball over his head.
James finished the night with a team-high 26 points (12-for-20 shooting) and nine assists in a 124-114 loss.
While James’ latest milestone won’t have the same stature as becoming the all-time scoring king — he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for No. 1 all time just over a year ago — it will still be a special moment.
His words: “To hit feats and have milestones throughout my career, they all mean something to me. Absolutely. Obviously, there’s a pecking order of which ones are higher than others. But I would be lying to you if I said no, it doesn’t mean anything. It absolutely does.”
