The Los Angeles Lakers traveled to Denver on Thursday night looking to secure their fourth consecutive win as they continued pushing for improved positioning in the Western Conference standings. After a brief slump in February that saw the team slip to sixth place, the Lakers have leaned heavily on their star duo of Luka Doncic and LeBron James to steady the ship during a critical stretch of the season.
James entered the matchup still producing at a high level in his 23rd NBA season, averaging 21.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 7.0 assists while continuing to shoulder a major role for Los Angeles at age 41.
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But beyond helping the Lakers chase another victory, the veteran forward also stepped onto the court on the verge of yet another historic milestone. James needed just three made field goals to surpass another Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most field goals made in NBA history. He wasted little time making history.
Late in the first quarter, James drilled a fadeaway jumper with 11.8 seconds remaining, officially passing Abdul-Jabbar’s previous record of 15,837 field goals and moving into first place on the NBA’s all-time list. The basket gave James 15,838 career field goals, another remarkable entry in a resume filled with historic accomplishments.
Following the milestone, Lakers great Magic Johnson, took to X to celebrate the achievement.
“I want to congratulate Lakers legend and superstar LeBron James on becoming the all-time leader for field goals made in NBA history — passing my Showtime Lakers teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar!” Johnson wrote.
Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar were teammates during the Lakers’ iconic “Showtime” era in the 1980s, leading Los Angeles to five NBA championships (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988) and forming one of the most dominant duos in league history.
Thursday’s milestone adds to a growing list of historic records for James. The four-time NBA champion previously surpassed Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in February 2023, one of the most celebrated moments of his career.
He also holds the all-time playoff scoring record and became the first player in league history to surpass 50,000 combined points in the regular season and playoffs.
James continues to add to a legacy that has already placed him among the greatest players the sport has ever seen, with each new record further cementing his place in basketball history.
