Check out LeBron James' top career plays in this highlight mix!
The point of basketball is right in the name: put the ball in the basket.
It dates back to Jan. 15, 1892, when Dr. James Naismith’s Original 13 Rules of Basketball were published in Springfield College’s newspaper, The Triangle.
- A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.
Entering Thursday’s game against the Nuggets in Denver (10 p.m. ET, Prime Video), Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James stands just three field goals away from having put the ball in the basket more than any player in NBA history.
With 15,837 career field goals made, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been the standard bearer for field goals made in the NBA for nearly four decades. But just as James passed Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time scoring leader on Feb. 7, 2023, “The King” is now poised to pass “The Captain” in field goals made.
James was just four years old when Abdul-Jabbar made his final regular-season basket on April 23, 1989 — long before James became a basketball prodigy, a high school phenom and eventually the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, which marked the beginning of a basketball journey like no other.
Benchmark field goals for James
In the 80-year history of the NBA, a total of 4,956 players have made at least one field goal in a regular-season game. That includes James, whose first bucket came just three minutes into his debut on Oct. 29, 2003, in Sacramento.
• 1 Field Goal Made: Accomplished by 4,956 players
LeBron James: Oct. 29, 2003, Cavaliers at Kings
(Career game No. 1)
With the eyes of the basketball world laser-focused on him, an 18-year-old LeBron James rose for his first NBA shot attempt and swished a 16-foot baseline jumper. It was one of 12 field goals in his NBA debut, not only stamping his arrival, but laying a foundation for a career that is still evolving 23 years later.
• 2,500 Field Goals Made: Accomplished by 738 players
LeBron James: Dec. 16, 2006, Cavaliers at Magic
(Career game No. 261)
The already exclusive club of players who score in an NBA game shrinks exponentially as the number of made field goals rises. Only 738 players have ever made 2,500 field goals in the NBA.
For James, that benchmark came during his fourth season, when he drove to the basket against the Orlando Magic and finished a layup between multiple defenders. That’s a familiar sight as opposing teams swarmed to try to slow him down.
• 5,000 Field Goals Made: Accomplished by 235 players
LeBron James: Jan. 3, 2010, Cavaliers vs. Bobcats
(Career game No. 508)
James joined the 5,000-field goals made club with a driving lefty scoop shot off the glass against the Charlotte Bobcats. James was the NBA’s reigning MVP then and would win the award a second time in the 2009-10 season before closing out his first stint in Cleveland with a total of 5,415 field goals.
• 7,500 Field Goals Made: Accomplished by 54 players
LeBron James: March 27, 2013, Heat at Bulls
(Career game No. 760)
The city and the uniform may have changed, but James kept ringing up field goals during his four-season run in Miami. That run included 2,911 field goals made and broke the 7,500 field goals made threshold. That’s something that only 54 players in league history can claim.
• 10,000 Field Goals Made: Accomplished by 16 players
LeBron James: Jan. 8, 2017, Cavaliers at Suns
(Career game No. 1,020)
From 2003-26, the sight of James barreling down the lane with a full head of steam has struck fear in opponents. It’s fitting that such a play lifted James into the 10,000-field goals club in 2017. It was his third season back in Cleveland, but the first since leading the Cavs to their only NBA title in the 2016 Finals.
James is one of 16 players ever to make 10,000 field goals in the NBA, and is joined by Kevin Durant as the only active player to hit that mark.
The other 14 — Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Dirk Nowitzki, Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon, Alex English, John Havlicek, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and Carmelo Anthony — are all in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. That’s a destination that awaits James whenever he decides to stop defying Father Time.
• 12,500 Field Goals Made: Accomplished by four players
LeBron James: Dec. 27, 2020, Lakers vs. Timberwolves
(Career game No. 1,268)
Just three months after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the 2020 NBA title – and becoming the only player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP with three different teams – James became the fourth player in NBA history to reach 12,500 field goals made, joining Abdul-Jabbar, Malone and Chamberlain.
On a night that he joined three scoring legends, it’s fitting that James and the Lakers were touting their throwback uniforms against the Timberwolves.
• 15,000 Field Goals Made: Accomplished by two players
LeBron James: Dec. 1, 2024, Lakers at Jazz
(Career game No. 1,512)
Last season, James became the second player (joining Vince Carter) to play in 22 NBA seasons. Early in that campaign, James became the second player (joining Abdul-Jabbar) to reach 15,000 career field goals made with a driving runner off the glass in Utah.
Today, James is not just the only player to ever play in 23 NBA seasons, he needs just three field goals made (to pass Abdul-Jabbar) and six games played (to pass Robert Parish) to take over first place on both all-time lists – adding two more accomplishments to a basketball resume that is not only unprecedented, but may never be seen again.
As James ascends to the top of the field goals made list, here are five fun facts about his path to the top of the leaderboard.
Which team has James made the most field goals with?
James has played nearly half of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, split between two stints. The first James era lasted for his first seven seasons (2003-10), followed by another four-year era (2014-18) that included a championship run in 2016.
Which team has James hit the most field goals against?
Playing in the East for 15 of his 23 seasons gave James extra opportunities to score against those teams. Here’s a hint: One of the milestone field goals above came against this familiar foe, a team that also went toe-to-toe with James’ Cavs in the playoffs.
When in games did James score most of his field goals?
Considering James started all but two games in his career, it makes sense that the first quarter would see the majority of his field goals. However, when it comes to career scoring by quarter, his highest average has come in the fourth quarter (7.2 ppg).
What are the most field goals James made in a single game?
James has made at least 20 field goals twice in his career, which came in the two highest-scoring games of his career.
23 Field Goals Made — Cavaliers 130, Wizards 122 (Nov. 3, 2017)
- Stats: 57 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 43 minutes
- Shooting: 23-for-34 (.676) FG, 2-for-4 (.500) 3P, 9-for-9 (1.000) FT
22 Field Goals Made — Heat 124, Bobcats 107 (March 3, 2014)
- Stats: 61 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 41 minutes
- Shooting: 22-for-33 (.667) FG, 8-for-10 (.800) 3P, 9-12 (.750) FT
For his career, James has averaged 9.9 field goals made per game. His most frequent number of field goals in a game is nine (207 times), followed by eight (188) and 11 (182).
What has keyed James’ run to this record?
No player in NBA history has matched the combination of longevity and consistent production as LeBron James. In addition to being three field goals away from the record in field goals made, he is also just six games shy of setting a new mark in games played.
In his 23rd NBA season, he is averaging 21.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and seven assists (10th in the league) and extended his own record with a 22nd consecutive All-Star selection. As the game has evolved over the course of his career – from the early 2000s through the entire 2010s and now well into the 2020s – James has flowed with it, but his production has remained constant.
As he continues to knock off record after record, the question now is what marks will he set for future generations to chase?
