LeBron scores 10+ points for a 1,000th match
LeBron James celebrated his 36thde birthday by becoming the first player in NBA history to have 1,000 games in a row with at least 10 points.
James’ baby hook with 6:15 left in the second quarter in San Antonio earned him 11 points for the game, scoring the first time in a row in double digits, a milestone that will be difficult.
He already owns the longest series in NBA history – surpassing Michael Jordan’s point of 866 games on March 30, 2018 – and he continues to extend the record every time he takes court.
The last time LeBron failed to score 10 points in a game was on January 5, 2007 when he had eight points, nine assists and five rebounds when the Cavs beat the Bucks. He has played eight single-digit games in his career, six of which were in 2003-04 (his rookie season).
Remember that this series only applies to regular season matches. James does have single-digit playoff games – in 2011 and 2014 when he was on the Miami Heat. If he includes that in his singles games in the regular season, James comes in at 10, which is less than 1% (0.654% to be exact) of his 1529 career games (regular season and playoffs combined).
As he climbed the all-time standings in the regular season (No. 3) and playoffs (No. 1), it was James’ scoring consistency that set him apart from other NBA greats now and then. This looming series of 1,000 matches with double-digit score is the latest example of consistency.
LeBron averaged 25.3 ppg last season, finishing 12th in the NBA and second on the Lakers after Anthony Davis (26.1 ppg, 10th in the NBA). It lasted until his 17thde season for LeBron to not be his team’s leading scorer in a given season. What he did rather was lead the league for the first time in his career (with a top-notch career of 10.2 per year).
Check out LeBron James’ best dunk of each of his 18 seasons.
While hitting his team-points leader series, he expanded another remarkable series, averaging more than 25 ppg for the 16de consecutive season. After averaging 20.9 ppg as a rookie, LeBron never achieved less than 25 ppg in a season. This is the longest series in league history with a wide margin. The next closest players are Hall of Famers Karl Malone and Michael Jordan with 11 consecutive seasons (and that is as we include Jordan’s 1994-95 comeback season when he played only 17 games).
LeBron is not the pure goal scorer Jordan was during his shift. Jordan has a record of ten titles, while LeBron has one. Jordan also has the highest score in league history at 30.1 ppg, while LeBron’s 27.1 career ppg finished fourth. But in terms of longevity and durability, LeBron holds the advantage over any of the everyday greats.
Looks sly as he starts at 18de season, there is no indication that his double-digit score will end anytime soon. How far can he push it and how long will it take for someone to get a realistic chance to challenge his point?
Since the 1983-84 season, there have been only nine streaks with at least 300 live double-digit shows. The list contains only two active streaks – LeBron at 999 and James Harden at 411.
If we look at active streaks, there are only six players who have scored more than 75 consecutive double-digit matches for points, participating in Wednesday’s matches. After Harden, Kevin Durant (152 games) belongs to the next longest active series, followed by Kawhi Leonard (125), Karl-Anthony Towns (113) and Bradley Beal (109). If you add up the five (910), it would still not be enough to compare LeBron’s series.
Among the players with the longest active streaks, Harden probably has the best chance of challenging LeBron. Harden is the league’s leading scorer, leading the league for the past three seasons.
However, he follows LeBron with 588 games – the equivalent of more than seven full 82 seasons. On top of that, LeBron does not stop with 1,000 games. This means that this point will continue to rise, making it harder for everyone to challenge.