Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James reached the 38,000-point plateau with a basket in the first quarter Sunday to become just the second player in NBA history to hit the mark.
The historic points came on a jumper from the top of the key off a short pass from Russell Westbrook with 5:43 remaining in the first quarter against the visiting Philadelphia 76ers. He needed 11 points to reach 38,000 and finished the first quarter with 16.
James is closing in on the all-time NBA scoring mark of 38,387 set by former Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played in 1,560 games over 20 seasons. James was playing in his 1,399th game and is also in his 20th season.
James, who turned 38 late last month, entered Sunday with an average of 29 points over 32 games, just under his mark of 30.3 last season and his second-best mark over the past 13 seasons.
–Field Level Media
