Over the last several years, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has been steadily climbing the ladder in several statistical categories. Of course, this past season he became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer when he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in February.
But his career isn’t done, and he appears to have plenty left in the tank as long as he avoids major injury.
This coming season, James can achieve several new milestones and strengthen his argument as, in the minds of some, arguably the greatest basketball player ever. This article will take a look at several of them and break them down.
Records LeBron James will break in Year 21 #LakeShow
– 40,000 POINTS
1st player in NBA history w/ 40,000 PTS and makes a new club as the only player with 40,000 PTS, 10,000 REBS & 10,000 ASTS– 20th All Star Game ☆
Most selections ever– 7th ALL TIME IN 3PTS MADE
– 8th… pic.twitter.com/F362GZTBmp
— † (@HoodiHachimura) August 15, 2023
40,000 points
Scoring 40,000 in a single NBA career seems mythical and next-to-impossible to achieve. Yet James is currently at 38,652 points, so that incredible figure is within reach, and if he doesn’t miss too many games due to injury, he will likely get there by the end of the regular season.
Having not only 40,000 points but also 10,000 rebounds and assists would be even more unreal. James already has over 10,000 boards and dimes, so if and when he gets to 40,000 points, he will be the founding member of an extremely exclusive club.
20 All-Star selections -- the most ever
James is currently tied with Abdul-Jabbar for the most selections to the league’s midseason classic at 19. Barring something strange or catastrophic, it is a certainly he will get another All-Star nod this coming season, putting him atop the list for the most ever by himself.
Seventh-most made 3-pointers in NBA history
James has never been known as a deadly 3-point shooter, and he has shot at least 40 percent from that distance in just one season. For his career, he’s at just 34.5 percent, and this past season his accuracy in that department plunged to 32.1 percent.
With 22 more made treys, James will surpass Jason Terry to move into seventh on the list of most career 3-point field goals. It would be a testament to his longevity and dedication to keeping his body right.
Eighth-most steals in NBA history
Earlier in his career, James had a reputation as an elite defender, and at one point he was named to the All-Defensive First Team five years in a row.
Over the last few years, his defensive prowess has been sporadic, partly because he has to conserve his finite energy for the offensive end. This past season was the first time he failed to average at least one steal a game in the NBA.
But with 22 more steals, James will leapfrog Clyde Drexler and be ninth in career steals.
11,000 career rebounds
James has never really been known for his rebounding, although he does have a solid career average of 7.5 rebounds a game. But at 10,667 career rebounds, he is closing in on the 11,000 mark.
To put that into perspective, only 32 NBA players have collected that many caroms in a career.
