With LeBron James breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s sacred all-time scoring record, a strong argument can be made that he is the GOAT of basketball. James further cemented his case for GOAT when he became the first player to surpass 40,000 points in a career on March 2, 2024.
On top of that milestone, James also has four NBA championships, four Finals MVPs, and four NBA MVPs to his name.
While James has made history, it’s worth looking at what other monumental records James holds. Let’s take a look at 10 LeBron James records that are unlikely to ever be broken.
All-time scoring record, 40,000 points
LEBRON JAMES REACHES 40,000 CAREER POINTS 👑
He’s the first player to EVER reach this mark 🔥
pic.twitter.com/XKxT1yBWUx— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 3, 2024
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the All-Time scoring record in the NBA for over 38 years. Although no one thought it would get broken, James finally did it.
It took him 20 productive seasons to conquer the milestone. It’s hard to believe that anyone will ever break this record, given that only seven players have been able to score 30,000 points in their careers. The active current leader behind James is Kevin Durant, and he still has fewer than 29,000 points playing in his age 35 season.
James further strengthened his claim for the GOAT by becoming the first player ever to reach 40,000 points, which he achieved against the Denver Nuggets.
Top five in both all-time scoring and assists
With his eighth assist of the night, LeBron James passed Mark Jackson on the NBA’s all-time assists list. James and Steve Nash are now tied for fourth place with 10,335 assists.
T4. Steve Nash – 10,335
T4. LeBron James – 10,335
6. Mark Jackson – 10,334— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) February 1, 2023
While James has made waves in scoring, he’s also one of the best passers in the game. Aside from breaking the all-time scoring record in his 20th season, James also solidified himself in the assists column by passing Steve Nash and Mark Jackson for the fourth most in league history.
James more than 10,500 now but still trails No. 3 Chris Paul by more than 1,000, and of course, Paul keeps adding to his own total and could pass No. 2 Jason Kidd next season. Still it’s hard to think of another player who will replicate this feat by stuffing the points and assists category enough to break into the top five all-time scoring and assists while winning games and championships.
Scoring 40 points against all 30 NBA teams
IT'S OFFICIAL! 💥
LeBron James has scored 40 points against EVERY single NBA team 🐐👑
(🎥: @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/MTAfDpK0YR
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 25, 2023
Breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s All-Time scoring record wasn’t easy. In fact, James had to make a little history of his own to get there.
In NBA history, he became the first player to score 40 points at least once against all 30 NBA franchises, including the teams he used to play for.
Scoring 40 points in a game is already a herculean task. However, doing it against every team is a different level altogether.
100+ 30-point games with three different franchises
LeBron James is the 1st player in NBA history to record 100 30-point games with 3 different franchises. pic.twitter.com/VJibM50lxr
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 29, 2023
Aside from making history by scoring 40 points against all 30 NBA teams, James carved out another piece of history after tallying 100 30-point games with three different franchises. He played for the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and currently with the Los Angeles Lakers. This only proves that wherever James goes, the franchise becomes an automatic contender.
Win Finals MVP with at least three different teams
LeBron James is the first player in NBA history to win Finals MVP with three different teams. pic.twitter.com/tcPLvGoLxK
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 12, 2020
Aside from taking on the scoring responsibilities, James’ production translates to wins and championships. While some players won championships with several teams, James did so as a leader, becoming the Finals MVP of all three franchises he took to the pinnacle of the NBA. As we all know, James won two straight Finals MVPs and championships in South Beach, a historic one in Cleveland, and the latest in the NBA bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic.
30K-10K-10K club
The King stands at the top.
LeBron James becomes the first player in NBA history to amass 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 10,000 assists in his NBA career. #AlwaysAFan pic.twitter.com/hId3NM0H10
— ONE News PH (@onenewsph) March 14, 2022




LeBron James is one of the best all-around players in the NBA, becoming the first player to tally 30,000 points, 10,000 assists, and 10,000 rebounds in his career. While there are a handful of players who can possibly reach this, it will be difficult to enter James’ 30K-10K-10K club. Statistically, James is the best all-around player in the world who’s in a class of his own.
Most All-Star Game selections
LeBron James has set the record for most NBA All-Star selections with 20.
James is an All-Star starter for the 20th straight year – a streak that began in 2005, his second NBA season. He is set to play in his 20th All-Star Game, extending his record.
Most All-Star selections ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/eZ9F517xxJ
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 26, 2024
In February 2024, James played in his 20th All-Star Game to set another NBA record. He started for a record 19th consecutive All-Star Game as well and was named Team Captain.
For the closest active players to match this record, it would require KD and CP3 to tally at least seven more All-Star seasons to match James. However with James not showing any signs of slowing down, it looks like he could still go well over 20 All-Star trips.
Most All-NBA Team selections
Most All NBA Selections in NBA History
1. LeBron James – 19*
T2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 15
T2. Kobe Bryant – 15
T2. Tim Duncan – 15
T5. Karl Malone – 14
T5. Shaquille O'Neal – 14
T7. Bob Cousy – 12
T7. Jerry West – 12
T7. Dolph Schayes – 12
T7. Hakeem Olajuwon – 12
T7. Dirk… pic.twitter.com/RHsMPVI3uF— Uncovering the Truth (@shendy456) August 9, 2023
Apart from making All-Star teams and collecting several hardware, James also has the most All-NBA team selections by any player in history. Currently, James already has 19, and after starting in the All-Star Game, he appears well on his way to his 20th All-NBA Team selection.
The active player who is closest to James is Chris Paul with 11. Again, despite his age, James is still playing at an elite level to collect more All-NBA selections in the near future, which will make him much harder to catch.
Cleveland Cavaliers’ franchise records
LeBron James is the Cavaliers' franchise leader in points, rebounds, assists and steals (among many other categories)
Without LeBron, the Cavaliers are nearly 500 games below .500 all time.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 29, 2018
LeBron James was selected as The Chosen One in Cleveland. In fact, he’s easily the greatest NBA player to wear the Cavaliers uniform. Not only did he fulfill his promise of bringing an NBA championship to his home city, but he also holds several franchise records.
As a Cavalier, James tallied 23,119 points in 849 games to average 27.2 points per outing. He also played 33,130 minutes in a Cavs uniform. With the Cavaliers still yet to recover from James’ departure, it looks like James will be holding those franchise records for a long time.
Most games won in the playoffs
LeBron James now has the most playoff wins by any player in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/DiFTxoiA02
— StatMuse (@statmuse) September 9, 2020
Although a lot of people have criticized LeBron James for his failures in the Finals, statistics say he is the winningest player in NBA playoff history. James has compiled a record of 182-100 in the postseason, which also is the record for most playoff games played by any player at 282.
In fact, while playing 282 games, those four NBA championships and Finals MVPs should speak for themselves on how James can also win when it matters most.