There are many stats and numbers that show the unmatched longevity of LeBron James during his NBA career. There is a reason he holds so many records, most notably having the most career points. Now in his 22nd season, the 40-year-old is defying all odds by still being remarkably productive. With the Los Angeles Lakers sewn into the third seed for the 2025 Western Conference Playoffs, James will sit out the regular season finale on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers. That will ensure that his incredible 20-year streak of averaging at least 25 points per contest will come to an end.
LeBron James Sees 20-Year Scoring Average Streak Snapped
LeBron James Had Averaged At Least 25 Points For 20 Straight Seasons
The first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, James was in all likelihood the most-hyped rookie ever. He didn’t disappoint as he was named 2003-04 Rookie of the Year and averaged 20.9 points. Believe it or not, all these years later, that was still the only time in his career that the four-time MVP averaged less than 25 points, until this season.
With James resting for the regular season finale, he will end the year averaging 24.4 points in his 70 contests. For 20 straight seasons, he averaged at least 25 points. Obviously, that is an NBA record. Three times, the NBA’s all-time scoring leader averaged at least 30, including the one year he won a scoring title in 2007-08.
Now, even if James did play on Sunday, it would be highly unlikely that he would score enough to extend the streak. He would have needed to score 65 points to have his scoring average raise to 25.0. His career-high during his 22-year playing career is 61 points. That came over a decade ago on March 3, 2014 while James was a member of the Miami Heat.
Playoff Time For LA
It’s safe to say that James isn’t all that upset about his record streak coming to a conclusion. Instead, he is focused on winning his fifth championship, and his second one with the Lakers.
With every team having their regular season finale on Sunday, there are three potential teams that LA could meet in the first round. Those teams are the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
The NBA would absolutely love a Lakers/Warriors matchup in the opening round. The amount of star power on both sides would likely draw a boatload of eyes and provide high ratings. It would feature James and Luka Doncic of the Lakers squaring off against Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler of the Warriors.
LA could also see the Nuggets for the third straight year in the postseason. They’d look to avenge both series losses where they won just once in nine tries. James hopes adding Doncic can help the Lakers postseason run last longer than last year. They fell in the opening round to Denver in five games.
James will further extend the lead for one of his numerous NBA records. He has scored 8,162 points in the postseason, 2,175 more than Michael Jordan who sits second on the career playoff scoring list.
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