Is LeBron James the GOAT? It’s safe to say that no one dominates the game today like he does, but the answer typically requires hashing out the comparison to Michael Jordan’s legendary legacy. Yet the longer James plays, the stronger his case gets. 

He has hinted that the end of his playing career may be near, but for now, retirement is still somewhere down the road for the star. In his career, he’s won four out of ten championship appearances and four Olympic medals. This season, he also became part of the first parent-child duo to play in the National Basketball Association, alongside his eldest son, Bronny. And he just notched his 50,000th point in play.

James is the first player in the NBA to put that many total points on the scoreboard. The historic feat became official during a matchup on March 4 between James’ Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans. He only needed a single point to eclipse 50,000, and he sunk it on his first shot, ESPN reported.

“It’s a hell of a lot of points,” James told Spectrum SportsNet after the game, per ESPN. “I’m super blessed.” 

James is playing his 22nd season at 40 years old — but you wouldn’t know it looking at his stat sheet. His game averages for points, shooting percentage, rebounds, and assists since the new year are on par with his MVP season over a decade ago with the Miami Heat in 2012-13, ESPN reported.

The historic point total reflects nearly 42,000 points during the regular season and over 8,000 points during the playoffs, according to NBA data. James was already the league’s all-time leading scorer, ever since he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s point total in February 2023. Now, he extends his record with every bucket. 

However, he’ll have to wait to keep it rolling. Just days after clinching the 50K record, James suffered a groin injury versus the Boston Celtics, which is expected to sideline him for 1-2 weeks, per Yahoo Sports.

The end of the regular season is fast approaching, with the playoffs slated to begin on April 19. This means the remaining series in March are a critical time for all playoff contenders — including the Lakers, who are ranked second in the Western Conference at the time of publication. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder lead the conference by 12 games, but other teams — including the Denver Nuggets, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Houston Rockets — are hot on the chase, all trailing the Lakers by just two games are less.

When asked about the injury, James brushed it off. 

“Not much concern,” he said, per Yahoo Sports. “We’ll go day-to-day.” 

It’s a minor injury for the seasoned pro — but other star veteran players haven’t been so lucky this year. Dallas Mavericks centerpiece Kyrie Irving went down on March 3 with a season-ending ACL tear, Forbes reported. 

Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant also started the season on shaky footing with an ankle sprain, and Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is battling multiple injuries. 

“You know it’s going to be a long season. It’s 82 games, 41 of them are on the road. It’s a lot of travel. And as you get older, it affects you even differently. If you have a family, it affects you even differently,” James said after reaching 50K, per ESPN. “Trying not to fall out of love with the process is the hardest thing.”

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