LeBron James Gets Honest About 40k Points

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LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers.

When the Los Angeles Lakers next take the floor, LeBron James will in all likelihood become the first player in NBA history to reach 40,000 points.

James, 39, added 31 points to nine assists, four rebounds, one block, and one steal in the win over the Washington Wizards on February 29. He is nine points away. Reporters asked about his imminent accomplishment after the game.

“I can’t sit here and say, ‘No.’ Because, of course [it is important],” James told reporters. “No one has ever done it. And for me to be in this position at this point in time of my career, I think, is pretty cool. Does it sit at the top of my things that I’ve done in my career? No. But does it mean something? Of course. Absolutely. Why wouldn’t it?”

Given all that James has accomplished in his career, it is a fair question.

But James – a 20-time All-Star, 19-time All-NBA selection, and four-time champion – doesn’t take any of it for granted.

“To be able to accomplish things in this league, the greatest players in this league, the NBA, and this been a dream of mine, and to hit feats and have milestones throughout my career, they all mean something to me,” James said. “Absolutely.”

James admits 40,000 points isn’t at the top of his list of accomplishments, though.

“Obviously, there’s a pecking order of which ones is higher than others,” James said. “But … I would be lying to you if I said, ‘No, it doesn’t mean anything’. Because it absolutely does.”

LeBron James Rehashes Scoring Title

James surpassed former Laker and Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the No. 1 spot as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in February 2023. The next closest player is Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant.

There is an 11,649-point gap between the two stars.

Asked about adding to his lead, James first reaffirmed his commitment to playing the right way before delivering his answer.

“I never thought about getting the scoring record, it just happened organically,” James said. “I just played the game the right way, and go out and play the game, have the game come to me. The scoring record happened organically for me. It was never a goal of mine when I came into the league like, ‘I wanna be the all-time leading scorer.’

“But I’m still playing, and I can still score the ball. So it’s gonna continue to go up until I’m done playing.”

LeBron James: 3-Point Shooting, Turnovers, & Rebounding Keyed Lakers’ Turnaround in February

The Lakers went 9-3 in February. Their efforts didn’t translate into moving up in the Western Conference standings. But the turnaround does bode well for the final stretch of the season. And James pointed to three areas in particular as the spark.

“[We got better in] a lot of places,” James said.

“Our three-point shooting is starting to get better, our assist-to-turnover ratio has gotten a lot better, and we’ve done a great job of helping out on the glass.”

The Lakers rank ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio, 13th in three-point efficiency, and 22nd in rebounding on the season. In February, they checked in first in assist-to-turnover and sixth in three-point efficiency.

They still ranked 24th in rebounding.

James noted they could stand to improve. But they did improve in second-chance points, ranking 24th in February compared to 30th on the season.

“It was a good month for us,” James said of the Lakers’ effort. “But it’s over now. Gotta get started on the next one [versus the Denver Nuggets].

Josh Buckhalter covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com with a focus on the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Vikings. He has covered the NBA and NFL since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He’s based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter