Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (436) passed Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone (435) for third on the NBA’s all-time 30-point games list with his performance against the Indiana Pacers.
After his worst performance of the 2018-19 NBA season against the Denver Nuggets, James bounced back with 38 points (15-of-27 shooting from the field, 2-of-7 shooting from the three-point line), 9 rebounds and 7 assists in 38 minutes.
Despite a season-best first quarter where the Lakers were ahead by as many as 24 points, they lost their lead midway through the third quarter.
James quickly responded with a personal 5-0 run out of a timeout and when the 33-year-old returned for the final stretch, he was able to successfully close out the game.
In just the first 21 games with the Lakers, James has already made plenty of history and will continue to do so. He recently passed Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki and Lakers legend Wilt Chamberlain for fifth on the all-time scoring list.
As for the 30-point games list, James will also have a legitimate chance of eventually becoming the all-time leader. Chamberlain finished with 515 as Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan finished with 562.
Despite averaging a career-low in minutes, James is still averaging 27.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in his 16th season.
If James is able to maintain this level of production during the next four seasons in Los Angeles, he will break numerous records.
