LeBron James has put together one of the most impressive résumés in NBA — and sports — history. You may or may not believe that he's the greatest player ever, and that's fine and valid. But no one could argue he's the most accomplished.
Despite not being considered a pure scorer and only winning one Scoring Title (2007-08 season at 30.0 PPG), James has been one of the most consistent and efficient offensive forces this game has ever seen. He's played in over 1,400 NBA games, yet he's only scored fewer than 10 points on eight occasions.
More impressively, LeBron hasn't averaged fewer than 20.1 points per game ever in his career, which is why it's not surprising to see him finally breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record for the most regular-season points scored. Now, we'll break that incredible milestone down.
Note: All stats are as of February 2, 2023.
NBA Scoring Record: Who Could Pass LeBron James?
We already know that most records are meant to be broken. Kareem's mark stood for more than two decades, so there's a chance someone also tops LeBron's numbers. But who could even come close to that?
Active Players With The Most Career Points
James has been an elite scorer for twenty years now, so it's no wonder why he's managed to break so many records. Notably, that only becomes even more impressive when you take a look at some perennial All-Stars and how many points they've scored in their careers:
15. Brook Lopez - 15,007 PTS
14. Kyrie Irving - 15,173 PTS
13. Anthony Davis - 15,024 PTS
12. Kyle Lowry - 15,644 PTS
11. Giannis Antetokounmpo - 15,706 PTS
10. Paul George - 15,967 PTS
9. Rudy Gay - 17,528 PTS
8. Damian Lillard - 18,805 PTS
7. DeMar DeRozan - 21,164 PTS
6. Stephen Curry - 21,183 PTS
5. Chris Paul 21,404 PTS
4. Russell Westbrook - 24,098 PTS
3. James Harden - 24,233 PTS
2. Kevin Durant - 26,684 PTS
1. Carmelo Anthony - 28,289 PTS
Active Players With The Highest Scoring Average
So, if those who are on that previous list fail to catch up with LeBron — either because of injury, retirement, or whatever reason — maybe those who currently average the most points per game find more success in their pursuit of the no.1 spot:
15. Carmelo Anthony - 22.5 PPG
14. Giannis Antetokounmpo - 22.5 PPG
13. Russell Westbrook - 22.5 PPG
12. Karl-Anthony Towns - 23.1 PPG
11. Kyrie Irving - 23.3 PPG
10. Devin Booker - 23.7 PPG
9. Anthony Davis - 24.0 PPG
8. Donovan Mitchell - 24.2 PPG
7. Stephen Curry - 24.5 PPG
6. James Harden - 24.8 PPG
5. Damian Lillard - 25.0 PPG
4. Trae Young - 25.5 PPG
3. Joel Embiid - 26.8 PPG
2. Kevin Durant - 27.3 PPG
1. Luka Doncic - 27.4 PPG
NBA All-Time Leading Scorers:
So, now that we've already seen the active players with the most career points, and those who hold the highest points-per-game average nowadays, let's take a look at the top -25 players who have scored the most regular-season points:
25. Rick Barry & Reggie Miller - 25,270 PTS
24. Alex English - 25,613 PTS
23. Vince Carter - 25,728 PTS
22. Kevin Garnett - 26,071 PTS
21. John Havlicek - 26,395 PTS
20. Paul Pierce - 26,397 PTS
19. Tim Duncan - 26,496 PTS
18. George Gervin 26,595 PTS
17. Dominique Wilkins - 26,668 PTS
16. Kevin Durant - 26,684 PTS
15. Oscar Robertson - 26,710 PTS
14. Hakeem Olajuwon - 26,946 PTS
13. Elvin Hayes - 27,313 PTS
12. Dan Issel - 27,482 PTS
11. Carmelo Anthony - 28,289 PTS
10. Shaquille O'Neal - 28,596 PTS
9. Moses Malone - 29,580 PTS
8. Julius Erving - 30,026 PTS
7. Wilt Chamberlain - 31.319 PTS
6. Dirk Nowitzki - 31,560 PTS
5. Michael Jordan - 32,292 PTS
4. Kobe Bryant - 33,643 PTS
3. Karl Malone - 36,928 PTS
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 38,387 PTS
1. LeBron James - 38,390+ PTS
LeBron James' Career High And Highest-Scoring NBA Games Ever:
James has only led the league in total points scored once in his career, recording 2,251 points in the 2017-18 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers on 27.5 PPG. Notably, he still lost the Scoring Title to James Harden (30.4 PPG).
Also, perhaps one of the most impressive features of LeBron James' record is the fact that he's never been in the top 40 in terms of the highest-scoring single-game performance. His career high is 61 points, which ranks 44th in league history:
15. Pete Maravich - 68 PTS vs. Knicks (February 25, 1977)
14. Wilt Chamberlain - 68 PTS vs. Bulls (December 19, 1967)
13. Michael Jordan - 69 PTS vs. Cavaliers (March 28, 1990)
12. Devin Booker - 70 PTS vs. Celtics (March 24, 2017)
11. Wilt Chamberlain - 70 PTS vs. Syracuse Nationals (Sixers), (March 10, 1963)
10. Donovan Mitchell - 71 PTS vs. Bulls (January 20, 2023)
9. David Robinson - 71 PTS vs. Clippers (April 24, 1994)
8. Elgin Baylor - 71 PTS vs. Knicks (November 15, 1960)
7. Wilt Chamberlain - 72 PTS vs. Lakers (November 3, 1962)
6. David Thompson - 73 PTS vs. Pistons (April 9, 1978)
5. Wilt Chamberlain - 73 PTS vs. Knicks (November 16, 1962)
4. Wilt Chamberlain - 73 PTS vs. Chicago Packers (Nationals), (January 13, 1962)
3. Wilt Chamberlain - 78 PTS vs. Lakers (December 8, 1961)
2. Kobe Byrant - 81 PTS vs. Raptors (January 22, 2006)
1. Wilt Chamberlain - 100 PTS vs. Knicks (March 2, 1962)
How Many Points Will LeBron James Score Before Retiring?
LeBron's contract with the Los Angeles Lakers runs through the 2024-25 NBA season. So, assuming he doesn't miss any regular season games — which is nearly impossible — we're talking about roughly 191 more games, which translates to 5,157 points at 27.0 points per game.
Of course, it's also unlikely that he will keep up that impressive PPG average for two more years, but he continues to fight the odds, so we're most definitely not betting against him. If that's the case, then The King could retire with something around 43,500+ regular-season points.
