Four Milestones LeBron James is Pursuing Following His Latest Historic Achievement with the Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James appears to be running low on records to pursue.

He has already amassed a considerable collection: the highest points total, most seasons played, total minutes logged, and numerous All-NBA and All-Star selections. Each of these accolades adds to an impressive tally.

This record list doesn’t even account for the unique categories compiled by James’ Los Angeles Lakers teammate Austin Reaves, such as the most sneakers worn or the most shoestrings used.

“He comes up with a new statistic about me every day,” James remarked.

James claimed another record on Sunday (AEDT), beginning the Lakers’ match in Orlando and marking his 1,612th regular-season game — surpassing Robert Parish for the most in NBA history.

Luka Doncic contributed 33 points to the Lakers’ ninth consecutive win, although he was issued his 16th technical foul, which could lead to an automatic one-game suspension unless overturned.

In his landmark game, James recorded 12 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

Paolo Banchero, who topped seven Magic players in scoring with 16 points, managed to block a shot from James late in the game with just 4.7 seconds remaining. However, after a review, it was confirmed that the ball hadn’t touched James’ foot out of bounds, ensuring Los Angeles kept possession. This led to Marcus Smart passing to Kennard for the winning shot.

James scored six consecutive points in the third quarter to push Los Angeles ahead by eight, but Orlando finished the game with a five-point lead as it marked the Magic’s fourth consecutive loss.

In his 23rd season, James has surpassed Vince Carter’s previous longevity record.

Prior to the match against Orlando, there were 79 players on the court in the current NBA season who weren’t even born when James made his debut in October 2003.

“It’s not as if I sit down, jotting things down, scrutinising the record books and plotting: ‘I’m going to get this, this, and this.’ It just unfolds naturally,” James noted.

“It wasn’t a part of my goals.”

Every achievement he makes continues to set new benchmarks. Every point he scores, each shot he takes, and every game he plays further distinguishes his contributions from his peers. James has ticked off all the major aspirations he had when entering the league — his four NBA titles ensured that — but the accolades he has received over recent years are also ones he genuinely cherishes.

“At some stage, I wanted to be the best player in this league,” he shared.

“I aimed to be among the greatest, if not the greatest, to ever play this game. Winning an NBA championship was a priority, along with possibly claiming rookie of the year, earning All-Star nods, winning a gold medal, and securing some MVP awards; those were among my goals.

“However, many of the milestones achieved in the last few years have been incredibly gratifying.”

Here’s a rundown of some of the impressive NBA records currently held by James:

• Points: James started Sunday’s match with 43,229 points, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in second place at 38,387.
• Minutes played: James’ total before the game was 60,676 minutes. Abdul-Jabbar, in his career, logged 57,446 minutes, and only seven players have surpassed the 50,000-minute mark.
• Field goals: James (15,884 at the start of the game) has recently eclipsed Abdul-Jabbar (15,837). Karl Malone is the only other player to have achieved over 13,000 field goals made.
• Field-goal attempts: With 31,350 attempts before the game, James stands approximately 3,000 attempts ahead of Abdul-Jabbar and is unlikely to be caught in this category for some time.
• Consecutive double-digit games: James’ streak of 1,297 regular-season games with at least 10 points came to an end earlier this season. Michael Jordan ranks second with a streak of 866 games, meaning James’ record won’t be challenged for at least a decade. Kevin Durant has the longest active streak with 316 games; he would need to continue playing until 2038 to overtake James.
• Most award selections: With 22 All-Star selections and 21 All-NBA picks… it’s difficult to see anyone surpassing these figures unless someone like Victor Wembanyama plays until approximately 2048.
• Double-digit games: James has scored 10 or more points in 99.44 per cent of his regular-season games, an astounding total of 1,602 out of the initial 1,611 games. This record is likely safe, along with him leading in 20- and 30-point games — and being tied with Allen Iverson for sixth place on the 40-point game list.
• Playoff scoring: James boasts 8,289 playoff points, with no other player even approaching 6,000. Given his regular-season scoring figures, it’s almost unthinkable that he could be surpassed in this domain.
• On-court earnings: His earnings on the court total approximately $580 million to date, not accounting for his extensive off-court ventures. However, with salaries on the rise, it seems likely that James’ on-court earnings will eventually be eclipsed within the next decade.

Which records can James still pursue?

While reaching the top of these all-time rankings may prove challenging, James still has pathways to improve in a few categories (if he continues playing next season).

• Assists: Currently seated fourth on the all-time assists list, James is unlikely to match John Stockton’s record (15,806). However, he could realistically surpass Jason Kidd (12,091) early in the next season and Chris Paul (12,552) by the conclusion of the following season.
• Steals: The record held by Stockton (3,265) is beyond reach, as are Paul’s second-place tally (2,728) and Kidd’s third position (2,684). Nevertheless, James, who is sixth, has a chance to surpass Gary Payton (2,445) and Michael Jordan (2,514) in the upcoming season.
• Made 3-pointers: Currently in sixth place, and unless he plays several more seasons, it’s likely he’ll retire in that position. Ahead of him are Stephen Curry, James Harden, Ray Allen, Klay Thompson, and Damian Lillard; Allen is the only retired player in that group, with over 300 more makes than James.
• Triple-Doubles: With Russell Westbrook (209), Nikola Jokic (191), and Oscar Robertson (181) ahead, James (currently fifth with 124) could potentially pass Magic Johnson (fourth with 138). However, this is an area where he could soon be overtaken, as his current Lakers teammate Luka Doncic has already recorded 90 triple-doubles.

The Los Angeles Lakers will take on the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday AEDT.