Lakers’ LeBron James reaches 51,000 NBA points in Raptors game

LeBron James made more NBA history by becoming the first player to score 51,000 career points during the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. At 41 years old, James continues to perform at a high level and add to a historic career. He had already passed 50,000 total points in 2025.

The milestone includes both regular-season and playoff points and speaks for James’ longevity and consistency over 23 NBA seasons. He became the league’s all-time regular-season scoring leader in February 2023 and reached 50,000 combined points in March 2025 against the New Orleans Pelicans on a first-quarter 3-pointer assisted by Luka Doncic.

Against Toronto, playing on the second night of a back-to-back, James was initially listed as questionable but was cleared before the game. Even with some uncertainty about his availability, he logged more than 30 minutes against the Raptors.

James finished with 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting. He also added seven assists and four rebounds.

James now leads the NBA in both regular-season and postseason scoring with more than 42,000 points and playoff scoring with over 8,000. He sits well ahead of legends like Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The milestone against the Raptors further shows his importance to the Lakers as they push for another deep playoff run in a crowded Western Conference, despite recent struggles.

When playoff points are included, Abdul-Jabbar has more than 44,000 career points, while Karl Malone ranks third with over 41,000.

The closest active players to James on the all-time scoring list are Kevin Durant at sixth, James Harden at 11th, and Stephen Curry at 15th.

Including the most recent win over Toronto, James is averaging 22.6 points while shooting 50 percent from the court through 23 games this season. While it remains unclear if he will play beyond the 2025-26 season, his level of play shows he is still performing at a high level.

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