This was a historic moment (VIDEO)

In a new milestone in his illustrious career, LeBron James on Saturday became the first player in NBA history to reach 40,000 points in the regular season.

The 39-year-old Los Angeles Lakers superstar scored his 40,000th point in the second quarter of the game against the defending champion Denver Nuggets.

The forward had only nine points left to reach the goal and he accomplished them with a drive to the basket in which he evaded defender Michael Porter Jr. with a half turn and converted a layup with his left hand.

Nearly 20,000 fans at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, already on their feet in anticipation of the accomplishment, recognized with massive applause the player who has led them the past six seasons and earned him a ring in 2020. Has reached till.

‘King James’, winner of four NBA championships, was the league’s all-time leading scorer since February 2023, when he broke the record of 38,387 points held by another Lakers legend, Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

Although the Los Angeles team is in tenth place in the Eastern Conference, LeBron continues to surprise with his performance and physicality in his twenty-first season in the league, averaging 25.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 7.9 assists per night.

Before James reached the milestone, Lakers coach Darwin Ham said, “It’s a great testament to all the work he’s done over the years, how well he’s taken care of himself, how high a level he is.” But have played.”

“No one has achieved this. And for me to be in this position I think it’s great,” James himself said this week. “Is this one of the best things I’ve done in my career? No. Does it make sense? Absolutely. Why not?”

“All the milestones throughout my career mean something to me. Of course,” he insisted.

Of his total of 40,000 points, James has scored 23,119 in his 11 seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2003–2010 and 2014–2018), 7,919 in four seasons with the Miami Heat (2010–2014) and 3,919 since joining the Lakers in 2018. Scored 8,962 points.

The NBA calculates this mark by taking into account only regular season statistics, in which LeBron played a total of 1,475 games.

In other categories, James is the player with the fourth most assists, eighth in steals, and tenth in defensive rebounds.

Among his extraordinary records, LeBron also has four MVP awards (Most Valuable Player) and two Olympic gold medals.

Without yet considering retirement, LeBron has fueled the mystery in recent weeks regarding the next step in his career.

James is committed to the Lakers through 2025 but his contract gives him the possibility of becoming a free agent at the end of this season.

“I haven’t decided how many seasons I have left to play,” Starr said in mid-February.