LeBron James has scored 50,000 NBA points in his latest huge scoring milestone, adding another string to his bow in the GOAT debate widely considered to be between him and Michael Jordan

LeBron James has reached another huge milestone by becoming the first NBA player to score over 50,000 points.

The 40-year-old entered the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night needing to score just one point to surpass the huge marker. He hit a three-pointer inside the first few minutes to pass the milestone and move to 50,002.

The moment went by relatively quietly as the game continued. But an announcement was made to signify James’ achievement when the first timeout was called and he sat on the bench, raising an arm in acknowledgment to the cheers from the crowd.

His combined total includes points in the regular season and postseason. He has already become the top scorer in NBA history, overtaking Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his 44,149 points last season.

Now in his 22nd season, he is tied with Vince Carter for most season played in NBA history. He has now added another landmark achievement – hours after being named the Western Conference Player of the Month.

James broke the 50,000 points barrier in his 1835th NBA game. Michael Jordan, widely considered James’ competitor to the label of the greatest of all time, sits fifth on the scoring list with 38,279 points from 1251 games. Karl Malone (41,689 points) and Kobe Bryant (39,283 points) sit third and fourth respectively on the list.

While James has scored far more points, thanks largely to his longevity, his average of 27 points per game in the regular season is lower than Jordan’s 30.1 points per game from his career. However, LeBron does have a slightly higher field goal (.507 vs. .497) and 3-point (.350 vs. .327) percentage compared to Jordan, who was better from the free throw line (.736 vs. .835).

In just the postseason, James has scored 8,162 points to Jordan’s 5,987. But Jordan averaged 33.4 points per playoff game compared to 28.4 from James, who has four Championship rings to Jordan’s six.

LeBron James and Michael Jordan are widely considered to be the greatest players of all time ( 
Image:
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
James has enjoyed a resurgence to lead the Lakers on an impressive run in recent weeks. He averaged 29.3 points per game, 10.5 rebounds per game and 6.9 assists per game in February on his way to the award. He scored 17 points to lead the Lakers to their sixth consecutive win by beating the Clippers 108-102 on Tuesday night to close in on the 50,000 point landmark.

Since turning 40 on December 30, James has turned in MVP-like numbers. He has averaged over 26 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists per game since his birthday.

In light of his recent performances, former NBA champion center Kendrick Perkins declared ahead of his latest milestone he believes James is still the best player in the league.

“I would have to say right now today that LeBron James is the best player in the NBA,” Perkins said on ESPN’s First Take’. “… LeBron James is getting it done at the age of 40 on both ends of the floor.”