There are not many milestones that LeBron James is still chasing. Arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, he already has the most points in a career and increases his own record with each game he plays.
The Lakers' 40-year-old star also has more than 40,000 career points — just counting the regular season. If you add his postseason career, James has another 8,162 points.
Heading into Tuesday's game against the Pelicans, that gave him 49,999 career points with regular and postseason totals combined — and he needed just a few minutes to become the first NBA player to surpass the 50,000-point marker.
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When did LeBron James reach 50,000 career points?
March 4 update: At the 8:34 mark in the first quarter of the Lakers' game against the Pelicans in Los Angeles, James hit a 25-foot 3-pointer (with an assist from new teammate Luka Doncic) to surpass 50,000 points for his career.
March 2 update: James extended his lead atop the scoring chart vs. the Clippers, dropping 17 points as the Lakers downed their crosstown rivals. That wasn't enough for him to surpass the 50,000-point plateau, however; James needs just one point in his next game — likely vs. the Pelicans on March 4 — to hit the fabled mark.
Feb. 28 update: James did in fact play in the second game of the back-to-back and scored 28 points against the Clippers. He is now 18 points from 50,000 in his career. James should surpass the mark in his next game on 3/2 also against the Clippers.
Feb. 27 update: James scored 33 points against the Timberwolves. He is now 46 points shy of 50,000 for his career. The Lakers' next game is on Friday night against the Clippers. It is the second game of a back-to-back, so James could rest, but he is now close enough he could break it in one game.
Feb. 25 update: James scored 27 points against Dallas. He is now under 100 points to 50,000 in his career, needing 79 more points.
Feb. 22 update: James scored 25 points against Denver, which is right on track with his 24.7 points per game average this season. He and the Lakers will face the Mavericks next on Tuesday, February 25 and is 106 points away from 50,000 career points.
LeBron James career points
Note: Totals accurate heading into March 4 game vs. Pelicans.
| Year | Regular Season Points | Regular Season Avg. | Postseason Points | Postseason Avg. |
| 2003 | 1,654 | 20.9 | -- | -- |
| 2004 | 2,175 | 27.2 | -- | -- |
| 2005 | 2,478 | 31.4 | 400 | 30.8 |
| 2006 | 2,132 | 27.3 | 501 | 25.1 |
| 2007 | 2,250 | 30.0 | 366 | 28.2 |
| 2008 | 2,304 | 28.4 | 494 | 35.3 |
| 2009 | 2,258 | 29.7 | 320 | 29.1 |
| 2010 | 2,111 | 26.7 | 497 | 23.7 |
| 2011 | 1,683 | 27.1 | 697 | 30.3 |
| 2012 | 2,036 | 26.8 | 596 | 25.9 |
| 2013 | 2,089 | 27.1 | 548 | 27.4 |
| 2014 | 1,743 | 25.3 | 601 | 30.1 |
| 2015 | 1,920 | 25.3 | 552 | 26.3 |
| 2016 | 1,954 | 26.4 | 591 | 32.8 |
| 2017 | 2,251 | 27.5 | 748 | 34.0 |
| 2018 | 1,505 | 27.4 | -- | |
| 2019 | 1,698 | 25.3 | 580 | 27.6 |
| 2020 | 1,126 | 25.0 | 140 | 23.3 |
| 2021 | 1,695 | 30.3 | -- | |
| 2022 | 1,590 | 28.9 | 392 | 24.5 |
| 2023 | 1,822 | 25.7 | 139 | 27.8 |
| 2024 | 1,363 | 24.8 | -- | -- |
| Total | 41,837 | 27.0 | 8,162 | 28.4 |
Lakers remaining 2024-2025 schedule
Every team plays 82 games during the NBA regular season. The Lakers went 32-21 ahead of the All-Star break. After Sunday's win, Los Angeles has 23 games remaining in the regular season.
| Date | Opponent |
| 3/4 | vs. Pelicans |
| 3/6 | vs. Knicks |
| 3/8 | at Celtics |
| 3/10 | at Nets |
| 3/13 | at Bucks |
| 3/14 | at Nuggets |
| 3/16 | at Suns |
| 3/17 | vs. Spurs |
| 3/19 | vs. Nuggets |
| 3/20 | vs. Bucks |
| 3/22 | vs. Bulls |
| 3/24 | at Magic |
| 3/26 | at Pacers |
| 3/27 | at Bulls |
| 3/29 | at Grizzlies |
| 3/31 | vs. Rockets |
| 4/3 | vs. Warriors |
| 4/4 | vs. Pelicans |
| 4/6 | at Thunder |
| 4/8 | at Thunder |
| 4/9 | at Mavericks |
| 4/11 | vs. Rockets |
| 4/13 | at Trail Blazers |