Needing just nine points to break open and join the 40,000 point club on Saturday, LeBron James did it in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets.
THE the Los Angeles Lakers the legend scored 40,000 as he did countless times, getting the changeup he wanted and driving to the basket with force. On this particular play, he asked Michael Porter Jr. to defend him one-on-one and once he started going downhill, there wasn’t much MPJ could do. LeBron drove to the basket and finished with a nice layup, hitting 40,000 career points Exactly.
The Los Angeles crowd showered him with thunderous applause as the team returned to defense and the Lakers shared a video tribute to the King’s feat during the following break in action.
The Lakers unfortunately did not obtain the victory, losing for the eighth consecutive time against the Nuggets. So many losses in the same way make fans wonder why Los Angeles can’t beat Denver. The loss put a damper on a landmark night for LeBron and the Lakers.
“I never think about a milestone when I’m fighting, but when it happens, obviously we recognize it,” James said after the match. “A lot of respect and a lot of loyalty to the Laker fans for showing me that love during the timeout; being the first player to do something pretty cool in this league because you know the history, you know the greats that have come through the league. And then you see some of the greats on the field tonight. It was just awesome to compete against that.
“But for me, the main thing is always the main thing and that is to win. I hated for it to come with a loss, especially against a team that, you know, played extremely well. We played good basketball tonight, but
This isn’t the first time the Lakers vs. Nuggets have played this season when a big moment surrounded their matchup. The first match between Los Angeles and Denver took place at the ring party in Denver and the next game was about the unveiling of the Kobe Bryant statue. Now we have the 40k game. All the eventful matches and all the victories for Denver.
Luckily for the Lakers, they won’t play the Nuggets again for the rest of the season, barring a playoff game.
Despite the bitter feeling of a celebratory moment marred by a loss, James hopes he embraces his greatness and that the NBA world recognizes how special what we’re witnessing is.
40,000 points is hard to understand. The only active player currently close is Kevin Durant and he is at 28,372 points, 11,645 points behind Bron. Keep in mind that James also plays and adds to that number.
LeBron has a player option for next season and could look to opt out and sign a longer term agreement. The end is near, but his numbers show no signs of slowing down.
Even in this “bittersweet” game, Bron finished the night with a team-high 26 points and he did it on 60% shooting from the field. This is simply unprecedented work for a 39-year-old man.
When looking at Bron’s career, there are many statistics and expressions that can be used to describe how ridiculous he was. I leave you with this: He accomplishes things that no one could have predicted he could have done and has spent most of his human life as a professional basketball player.
No player has had as much pressure or hype at the age of 18 and despite that hype and pressure, he rose to the occasion and won a title in three different jerseys over 21 years.
And he’s still not finished.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.
