Do playoff points get added to player's total NBA career points? Breaking down LeBron James' 40,000 points milestone

While looking at one's NBA career, the player's playoff points are often seen as a tremendous achievement as postseason competition vastly differs from how the regular season plays out.

Interestingly, fans have wondered if the playoff points and a basketball player's total NBA career points are separately counted. This is because that there are NBA players who have scored a lot in the postseason.

So, do playoff points get added to a player's total NBA career points? The short answer is no. The league does not add them to the total career points. The accomplishments in the postseason are kept separate from achievements in the regular season.

LeBron James' 40,000 points milestone achieved during Saturday night's 124-114 loss to the Denver Nuggets, is a tremendous feat to pull off as it took 20 seasons to complete.

In the scenario that playoff points were counted into the total career points, the LA Lakers star would have accomplished the milestone a long time ago.

The 40,000 points milestone is a testament to the incredible longevity and consistent basketball excellence that LeBron James has shown over the years.

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How many playoff points does LeBron James have?

Despite the loss to the 2023 NBA Defending Champions, LeBron James left the arena with another accomplishment added to his legendary basketball resume. The grind continues for the Lakers superstar, who, at this point in his career, has already done a lot to make his legacy stand out from other greats in NBA history.

But how many Playoff points does LeBron James have? In the 282 games he's played in the postseason, the four-time NBA Champion has accumulated 8023 points while logging 41.3 minutes per game.

In the NBA Playoffs, LeBron James has averaged 28.5 points (49.5% shooting, including 33.1% from 3-point range), 9.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. The numbers are not that far from his career average in the regular season, including his shotmaking efficiency.

Interestingly, James has already surpassed Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan for the most number of playoff points in league history. Jordan is in second place with 5,987 points and LA Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is in third place with 5,762 points.

When LeBron James finally decides to hang his jersey up and call it a career, he will be able to say that he left the league as its leading scorer in the regular season and in the NBA Playoffs. At this point, it will take some time before someone breaks these milestones.