The legend of LeBron James does not stop. On Tuesday night, the Lakers star forward surpassed 50,000 combined points in the regular season and playoffs, nearly 6,000 more than any player in NBA history. Lakers icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar retired in 1989 after 20 seasons and is second all-time with 44,149 total points. 

James crossed the threshold on a three-pointer from the left wing early in the first quarter of the Lakers’ 136–115 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. The four-time champ finished with 34 points, eight rebounds, six assists, a steal, and two blocks. 

On Tuesday morning, James was named Western Conference Player of the Month for his performance in February. At age 40, James is the oldest player in history to win the monthly award, passing Karl Malone, who was 37 when bestowed the honor in November of 2000.

James notches his NBA-record 41st Player of the Month honor; his last win came back in February 2020. The Lakers finished February 10–2, partially due to James’ averages of 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists.

Deep into his 22nd season in the league — tied with Vince Carter for most seasons in NBA history — James constantly defies previous notions that players cannot get better with age. 

LeBron previously broke Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time regular season scoring record of 38,387 points in February 2023 and surpassed Michael Jordan’s postseason scoring record of 5,987 in 2017. These records have been broken for years, and James continues to climb past the games’ greats into uncharted territory.

In an era where nearly every NBA star who lasts deep into their 30s fizzles out, James shows no signs of decline, constantly finding ways to alter his game to match his age.

This season, James is averaging 8.5 assists per game, his most since the 2020–21 season, and is shooting over 39 percent from three for the third time in his career. Even as age strives to take away his athleticism, James has molded his game to fit into the current fast-paced, three-point shooting landscape. 

The addition of superstar Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks earlier this month has eased James’ on-ball duties, creating a hyper-efficient offense where his adaptability can thrive. 

In nine games with Dončić, the Lakers are averaging 119 points per game, which would rank tenth all-time over a full season sample size. 

“It’s amazing, watching him do this stuff at this age,” Dončić said when asked about James passing 50,000 points. “It’s just unbelievable, that 50,000 points. I can’t even explain how insane this is. He might get to 70,000 [points]. You never know.”

James has played in 1,548 regular-season games, third all-time, trailing only Robert Parish (1,611) and Abdul-Jabbar (1,560). Assuming James is healthy and comes back for an NBA-record 23rd season, he will likely pass Parish early next year.

James has also suited up for 287 postseason games, the most of alltime. James has broken nearly every record, which is hard for anyone to fathom. James expressed that the most difficult part of the game at this stage of his career is “just not falling out of love with the process.” 

“Continuing to fall in love with the process, that’s the hardest thing, every single year.” James said. “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. You have a family, it affects you even differently. So the process — trying not to fall out of love with the process is the hardest thing.”

This season has also brought along a new challenge for James and his family. James was one half of the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA, alongside his son, Bronny James. 

In the blowout win over the Pelicans, Bronny played just over four minutes and registered two points. In the same game where James crossed 50,000 points, his son played minutes in an NBA game. This type of longevity was never thought to be achievable.

Looking beyond the debate of the greatest player of all time, what James is doing must be appreciated. His fastbreak dunks, chase-down blocks, deep threes; and outstanding court vision have been heralded by fans, players, broadcasters, and coaches for years. Yet, the traits that set James apart are his consistency and longevity. 

From Jan. 6, 2007 to today, a span of 1,278 games, James has scored in double-figures in every single game — by far the longest streak in history. 

At this point, the only thing stopping James is Father Time. He has defied common knowledge and the infamous tweet from 2014 in which a NBA fan rejoiced after James turned 30, believing his game would only decline from there. Rather, the exact opposite has happened: James has become an enigma. Opposing teams have yet to solve the mystery, and if history is any indication, they never will.