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Already the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James reflected on another major offensive benchmark he set in Tuesday’s 131-99 win over the Utah Jazz.
James had 17 points in the blowout, bringing his career total to 39,012. Four players have hit 39,000-plus points across the regular season and playoffs, but he’s the only one to do so in the regular season alone.
“I haven’t had an opportunity to really, I guess, wrap my head around what that means,” he told reporters after the game. “There’s been so many great players that came across this league since the beginning of time and so many great scorers. To be able to accomplish something that’s a first of anything, I think that’s always pretty cool. And it’s a wild moment, that’s for sure.”
It’s almost impossible to forecast when or even if another player can chase down James’ record.
Kevin Durant is the next active player behind LeBron in the scoring chart but trails by 11,681 points. James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry are next on the list, and they have almost no chance given they’re all in their mid-30s.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will turn 29 in December but needs to make up a lot of ground considering his career scoring average (22.8 points) lags well behind that of James (27.2 points).
The King is poised to stand alone in the 39,000-point club for a long time.
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