NBA

Unbreakable Records: LeBron James to Achieve 40,000 Career Points

Photo of Mikayla Kaliser Mikayla Kaliser28/02/2024 - 12:56 pm
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The NBA’s all-time top scorer, LeBron James, passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on February 7, 2023, for the No. 1 top scorer spot, and the legend will soon go on to break another once-in-a-lifetime record. 

After spending the last 21 years in the NBA, James currently sits at 39,960 career points and is on track to surpass the 40,000 mark. The 39-year-old is 40 points shy of this once-in-a-lifetime achievement and is on track to break the record this week. 

This 2023-24 season, James has averaged 25.6 points per game, so if the legendary player continues playing in the same manner, he should be able to hit 40,000 career points on Saturday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, if he won’t score 40 against the Wizards tonight.

When the 39-year-old hits the 40,000 mark, he will set a seemingly unbreakable record for NBA players to come. Let’s look at some of professional sports’ most unique and unbreakable records. 

Wilt Chamberlain- 100 Points Scored in a Single Game

Philadelphia Warriors legendary star Wilt Chamberlain scored an NBA high of 100 points in a single game on March 2, 1962. The Warriors clinched a 169-147 win against the New York Knicks with the help of Chamberlain. 

At the time, the NBA had yet to establish a 3-point line as it would come into play in 1979, making this record even more impressive as the Warriors legend accomplished this feat solely through 2-point shots. The closest a player has come to breaking Chamberlain’s record was the late Kobe Bryant, who scored 81 points for the Lakers against the Raptors.

Cal Ripken Jr.- 2,632 Consecutive MLB Games Played

Former Baltimore Orioles shortstop and third baseman Cal Ripken Jr., nicknamed “the Iron Man’ holds the record for the most consecutive MLB games played after appearing in 2,632 games. 

The Orioles player’s streak lasted from May 30, 1982 through September 19, 1998. In the last two decades, the closest a player has come to Ripken Jr.’s record is Miguel Tejada, who appeared in 1,152 games from June 2, 2000, until June 21, 2007. 

Lionel Messi- 91 Goals Scored in a Calendar Year

Lionel Messi’s 2011-2012 season football career is unmatched as he achieved 91 goals in a calendar year after playing for FC Barcelona and Argentina’s national team. 

The Argentinian native scored 79 goals for Barcelona that year and secured another 12 goals for Argentina. Messi’s 91 goals went down in record books, and the legend received his fourth Ballon d’Or on January 13, 2013, in Zürich, Switzerland. 

Emmitt Smith- 18,355 NFL Rushing Records

On October 27, 2002, the Dallas Cowboys fell to the Seattle Seahawks 17-14, yet despite this upset, the Cowboys had an outstanding achievement to celebrate. The Dallas legend Emmitt Smith broke one of the greatest NFL records during his game against the Seahawks as he surpassed Walter Payton’s all-time rushing record of 16,726 rushing yards. 

Beating Payton’s record did not suffice for the Dallas legend. Smith continued his career with the Arizona Cardinals, where he would set the greatest NFL all-time rushing record after clinching 1,629 more rushing yards with the Cardinals.  

Boston Celtics- 8 Consecutive NBA Championship Titles

From the 1959 to 1966 NBA seasons, the Boston Celtics clinched 8 NBA titles in a row with the help of their star player, Bill Russell. Since the 1966 Celtics team, no NBA team has come close to accomplishing this feat. 

The Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal Los Angeles Lakers did not come close to breaking the Celtics’ record as they clinched three consecutive titles from 2000 to 2002. Additionally, despite being considered one of the greatest teams at the time, the Golden State Warriors, with the help of star players Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson, fell short of the unbreakable record as they were only able to clinch two championship titles in a row in 2017 and 2018. 

Wayne Gretzky- 2,857 NHL Career Points

After 20 seasons in the NHL and competing for four different teams, NHL legend Wayne Gretzky holds the record for the most career points after having scored 2,857 times. 

Not only are Gretzky’s career points impressive, he has more career assists, 1,963, than any player has in career points. The second-ranked player in career points is Jaromir Jagr, who sits at 1,921 career points. 

Gretzky’s entire career is full of unbreakable records. Not only does he hold the most NHL career points and career assists, but he is also the only player to have clinched three consecutive 200-point seasons.

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Photo of Mikayla Kaliser Mikayla Kaliser28/02/2024 - 12:56 pm

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