First in the History’ – LeBron James set new NBA record at Denver Nuggets

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to reach 40,000 career points on Saturday during the team’s home game against the Denver Nuggets.

The NBA’s all-time top scorer made the historic basket on a left-handed layup with 10:41 remaining in the second quarter, eliciting loud shouts from the crowd at Crypto.com Arena.

After the historic basket, both teams continued to play until the Lakers called a timeout more than a minute later, prompting a standing ovation from the fans and high-fives from teammates as James made his way to the bench. During the timeout, the Lakers broadcast a video tribute to James in recognition of his milestone.

Last season, the 39-year-old broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points to become the NBA’s all-time greatest scorer.

The four-time NBA champion was nine points shy of reaching 40,000.

“Nobody has ever done it. And to be in this situation at this stage in my career, I think it’s pretty fantastic,” James said following the team’s victory over the Washington Wizards on Thursday. “Does that rank among the top things I’ve done in my career? No. Is there any significance behind it? Yes, absolutely. Why shouldn’t it?

“To able to accomplish things in this league, with the greatest players to ever play in this league, the NBA, this has been a dream of my and to hit feats and have milestones throughout my career, they all mean something to me, absolutely.”

In his 21st season, James is averaging 25.3 points, 7.9 assists, and 7.1 rebounds per game, making him the first player in NBA history to be nominated to 20 All-Star teams. Earlier this season, James led the Lakers win the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament championship, earning tournament MVP honors.