LeBron James continues to rewrite history in his 22nd NBA season.
In Year 20, James became the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, and in Year 21, the future Hall of Famer became the first player in NBA history to surpass 40,000 career points in the regular season. With those two milestones in his rearview, James has another scoring mark on the horizon.
James is on the verge of becoming the first-ever player in league history to score 50,000 combined points in the regular season and playoffs. He is already the all-time leader in the combined category and playoff points alone, but he stands to continue to put the records in unreachable places.
Here is what James needs to reach the next scoring plateau and how he got to this point.
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How many points does LeBron James need for 50,000?
James needs one point to reach 50,000 total career points. The figure represents points scored in the regular season and playoffs combined.
James has never gone scoreless in his NBA career. Based on that history, he will reach 50,000 points the next time he plays.
When did LeBron James hit 40K points?
James reached 40,000 regular-season points on March 2, 2024.
On that date, James entered a game against the Nuggets needing nine points to reach the plateau. He scored 26 points in that game to bring his career total to 40,017 and has since added over 1,8000 points to his career regular-season tally.
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LeBron James points vs. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
James, the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, has scored over 41,000 career points. Abdul-Jabbar is second all-time with 38,387 career points. He moved into first all-time in 1984 and held the spot for nearly 40 years.
James surpassed Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time scoring leader on Feb. 7, 2023. James entered the game needing 36 points to move into first all-time and scored 38.
NBA all-time scoring leaders
James and Abdul-Jabbar are two of eight players in NBA history to score over 30,000 points in the regular season.
Suns star Kevin Durant joined the exclusive group during the 2024-25 season and is the only other active player in the top 10 in points scored in the regular season or playoffs.
Regular season
| Rank | Player | Points |
| 1. | LeBron James | 41,837 |
| 2. | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 38.387 |
| 3. | Karl Malone | 36.928 |
| 4. | Kobe Bryant | 33,643 |
| 5. | Michael Jordan | 32,292 |
| 6. | Dirk Nowitzki | 31,560 |
| 7. | Wilt Chamberlain | 31,419 |
| 8. | Kevin Durant | 30,206 |
| 9. | Shaquille O’Neal | 28,596 |
| 10. | Carmelo Anthony | 28,289 |
Playoffs
| Rank | Player | Points |
| 1. | LeBron James | 8,162 |
| 2. | Michael Jordan | 5,987 |
| 3. | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 5,762 |
| 4. | Kobe Bryant | 5,640 |
| 5. | Shaquille O’Neal | 5,250 |
| 6. | Tim Duncan | 5,172 |
| 7. | Kevin Durant | 4,985 |
| 8. | Karl Malone | 4.761 |
| 9. | Jerry West | 4,457 |
| 10. | Tony Parker | 4,045 |
Combined (Regular season + Playoffs)
| Rank | Player | Points |
| 1. | LeBron James | 49,999 |
| 2. | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 44,149 |
| 3. | Karl Malone | 41,689 |
| 4. | Kobe Bryant | 39,283 |
| 5. | Michael Jordan | 38,279 |
| 6. | Dirk Nowitzki | 35,223 |
| 7. | Kevin Durant | 35,191 |
| 8. | Wilt Chamberlain | 35,026 |
| 9. | Shaquille O’Neal | 33,846 |
| 10. | Tim Duncan | 31,668 |
Acitve players listed in bold.
