With the 39-year-old forward becoming the first player in NBA history to score more than 40,000 career points, James' 21-year career will add to its long list of accomplishments. But where does a career total of over 40,000 points rank among all of James's accomplishments? MVP, All-Star trips, All-NBA teams, all-time scoring record... James' resume is full of blockbuster achievements.

10. Rookie of the Year
    The NBA awards its Rookie of the Year award every year, but James' rookie season (2003-04) was truly remarkable. James' high school games were often nationally televised before he entered the league, and no player has ever faced as much media hype and outside pressure to enter the NBA. At that time, it was common for players to play two, three or even four years in college before entering the NBA, and James entered the NBA as the No. 1 overall draft pick out of high school at the age of 18. In response, James became the only rookie in history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game, joining Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson as the youngest rookie of the Year in league history.

James is not without competitors. Anthony averaged 21 points per game for the Nuggets in his rookie season and earned 40 of the 118 first pick votes. The Heat's Dwyane Wade averaged 16.2 points and 4.5 assists in his rookie season, while the Raptors' Chris Bosh averaged 11.5 points and 7.4 rebounds. James had to play point guard himself when he first joined the Cavs, who won more than twice as many games under him as the previous season (17 to 35). With the world watching, James had an all-time rookie season.

He averaged 25 points per game in his 21st career season
James achieved extraordinary things at 18 years old, and 21 years later he's still setting records, never before seen any player do what James is doing at this stage of his career. At 39 years old, James is still averaging 25 points per game in his 21st career season, which is pretty amazing given that only six players in NBA history have even played a 21st season, and here are their average points per game that season:
Lebron James: 25 points per game
Vince Carter: 7.4 points per game
Dirk Nowitzki: 7.3 points per game
Robert Parrish: 3.7 PPG
Kevin Garnett: 3.2 points per game

James is on pace to average more points per game in his 21st season than the other five players combined. Such a long career is rare. Few players can have a career of more than 20 years, and it is unheard of for them to be so productive at this stage.

17 consecutive regular season games scored more than 10 points per game
The last time James didn't score in double figures in a game was Jan. 5, 2007, when the 22-year-old scored just eight points in a 95-86 victory over the Bucks. Now, 17 years later, James has not scored fewer than 10 points in any regular-season game. As of February 27, James' record has extended to 1,202 games, easily breaking Jordan's previous 866 games. The player who comes closest to James' record is Durant, but he hasn't played even half as many games as James (564).

In the 2007 Cavs/Bucks regular-season game, every player in the league is now gone. James started this record on January 6, 2007, the Cavaliers and Nets game, he was against the "Nets three" - Kidd, Carter and Richard Jefferson. Of course, such a record is also important luck, James must get at least 10 points before fouling out or getting hurt, 17 years of at least 10 points in every game is hard to imagine. The achievement required both technical prowess and endurance, both of which were James' strengths.

No. 7 NBA postseason scoring record
May 25, 2017 was a special day for James, who not only led the Cavaliers to defeat the Celtics in five games in the Eastern Conference Finals, but also surpassed Jordan to become the player with the most points in playoff history. It's a record that has been frozen for 21 years, and it's possible that no one will ever break James' new record again in the future. Although James only surpassed Jordan's 5,987 points that day, he has since taken that record all the way to 8,023 points. Despite his historic scoring prowess, James also reminded people that day that putting the ball in the basket isn't all about his game.

"I think after breaking the all-time playoff scoring record, the most important thing sitting here today is that I kept my heart. I don't have to score to have an impact on the game, and that's how I started playing basketball. I was like, how am I going to affect the game if I don't score? That mentality has carried me to this point and will carry me for the rest of my career."

6. Won four Finals MVP awards
   Finals MVP is probably the most coveted individual honor for players because it means you become the best player on the world's top basketball stage. James already has four FMVPS and a chance to add more. Being crowned Finals MVP in 2012 and 2013 with the Heat was just the beginning, and he finally got a taste of a championship by beating the Thunder and Spurs in the Finals, respectively. Even with former FMVPS Wade (2006) and Bosh, James was able to establish himself as the first man on the team, which can also prove James's dominance at the time.

The third MVP award of the 2016 Finals was perhaps the most special for James, who led the Cavaliers from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate the invincible 73-win Warriors and help the Cavaliers win their first title in franchise history. This FMVP trophy also makes James join O 'Neal, Duncan, Magic Johnson ranks as the only three FMVP super in history. Before James, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had won the MVP award with two different teams.

James' fourth FMVP of the 2020 Finals may be the most unique FMVP, because James and the Lakers played through the NBA Finals in the Disney rematch park. The fourth FMVPS also put James ahead of O 'Neal, Duncan and Magic Johnson for second place, behind Jordan's six FMVPS. With the Heat, Cavaliers and Lakers, James has won the FMVP award, and he is the only player in history to win the MVP award with three different teams.

Five, won four regular season MVP awards
Of course, we can debate whether the regular season MVP or the Finals MVP is a better honor, although one can play 82 games and the other can be decided after just four games. For this reason, we rank James' four regular season MVPS above his four Finals MVPS. James was named MVP in the 2008-09, 2009-10, 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, two with the Cavaliers and two with the Heat. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6), Michael Jordan (5) and Bill Russell (5) have more regular season MVPS than James, and Chamberlain (4) has the same number.

It is worth mentioning that James has come close to winning his fifth regular season MVP award surprisingly many times. The veteran forward has finished in the top five of the final MVP voting 14 times, including 13 consecutive seasons from 2005-06 to 2017-18. Whenever James leaves a team, that team drops off a cliff, and his versatility has significantly improved all the teams he's played for over the past two decades.

4. The first player in history to score more than 40,000 points in his career
   As James gets closer to that record, it's even more important for people to realize what that number means.

If you cut that number by 25 percent, or 10,000 points, only seven players in NBA history have reached a career total of 30,000 points, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Jordan, Nowitzki, Chamberlain and Julius Irving. If you cut that number by 50 percent, or 20,000 points, only 54 players in NBA history have scored half as many points as James, including seven active players such as Durant, Harden, Westbrook, Curry, derozan, Paul and Lillard.

Curry, who will soon turn 36, is a two-time NBA scoring champion with a career total of 23,180 points. If Curry maintains his current scoring pace of 27.7 points per game and James retires with 40,000 points, the Warriors star would have to play 607 more games (about 7.5 seasons) to catch James. We can also see a lot of NBA legends that don't even reach the 20,000 point mark, including Pippen, Stockton, Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson. James crossed the 40,000 point mark for his career, possibly a record no one will ever break again.

Third, the 20th NBA All-Star history first
It's one of the most recent accomplishments for James, who played his 20th All-Star Game on Feb. 18. At this point, James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the top spot, and he has surpassed Kobe Bryant (18) and Julius Irving (16) in the past few years.

Explain what that number means. The last time James wasn't an All-Star was in 2004, his rookie season. The iphone was still three years away from invention, two years from Facebook's public launch, and the first pick of the Barcelona draft, Vimbanyama, was born in France. All-star selection is a testament to individual performance and statistical excellence, as well as team performance and fan base, and no player has done all three better than James at the same time. According to HoopsHype, James received 66.7 million All-Star votes, easily the most on record in the league and well ahead of Durant in second place (39.7 million). Only 10 players in NBA history have played their 20th season, and James has made the All-Star team 20 times.

Second, 19 times selected to the best team first in history
In addition to MVP, making the All-NBA team is the best individual honor a player can receive, and no one has done this more often than James. Previously, the record was shared by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Duncan, each with 15 selections, but now James has raised the record to 19, and the other players have opened up a considerable gap, this year the number of probability reached 20. James has been selected to the All-NBA first team (including first, second and third teams) every year of his career except his rookie season, and 13 first-team selections are also a league record. Other players have at most 11 first-team selections (Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone), and even Jordan has made only 11 All-NBA selections, far fewer than James. This record reflects James' consistent production, career longevity and physical care. Only the top 15 players in the league make the All-NBA team each year, and for James, he has been a top-five presence in the league for the past 20 years.

1. Set a new record for total points in NBA history
   Kareem Abdul-Jabbar surpassed Chamberlain's all-time scoring record on April 5, 1984, setting a new NBA all-time scoring record. Coincidentally, James was born in the same year, and he is the only player who has ever had a chance to catch Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record. After 20 years, James hit a fadeaway jumper from the free throw line on February 7, 2023, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the official NBA all-time scoring champion. It's not just the most iconic record in the NBA, it's arguably the most iconic in all of sports.

"For a great legend like Kareem to be here, it means a lot to me and it's very flattering. To everyone who has walked with me on this journey over the last 20 years, I just want to say thank you." James said after breaking the record. James has been on a path to making history for decades, becoming the youngest player to stand at nearly every scoring milestone. Still, it took James 20 years and a lot of dedication to his physical fitness to finally surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the record is still growing. When James is considered the greatest player of all time, this record should be the main reason.