When did LeBron James score his 40,000th NBA career point?

LA Lakers superstar LeBron James entered Saturday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets needing nine points to reach another historic milestone. The four-time MVP finished the game versus the Washington Wizards on Thursday with 39,991 career points. He is likely breaking the 40K-point barrier, a plateau no one in NBA history had done before, early in the game against the defending champs.

“King James” has failed to reach 10 points just nine times during his mind-boggling 21-year career. Unless he suffers an injury, the NBA’s all-time points leader will push his total to an unprecedented level. He is going to be the first and might end up being the only player to hit at least 40K career points.

LeBron James eventually hit 40,000 career points with a turnaround drive against Michael Porter Jr. He did it at the 10:38 mark of the second quarter. The game was not stopped after the landmark achievement but Darvin Ham called a timeout so fans at Crypto.com Arena can give their appreciation.

James didn't score until 6:20 in the first quarter but the milestone was inevitable. The four-time champ and his team did not force the issue. They allowed the points to come naturally in the flow of the offense.

There was even a collective groan from the crowd when Ham took out "King James" would around two minutes in the first quarter. He already had five points when he was substituted for a rest.

Once the second quarter started, many were already up on their feet. It didn't take long for him to score four more points to reach the staggering achievement.

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45,000 career points is still possible for LeBron James

Depending on his desire to play, LeBron James could take this ride to an even more unbelievable height. With the way he has been playing, reaching the 45,000-point plateau is still possible. If he stays healthy, that might still be within his range.

To achieve that mind-blowing goal, the former Cleveland Cavaliers superstar will have to play for at least three more seasons. He has a year left on his contract next season and could add two more to breach that barrier.

If Bronny James gets drafted this year, the four-time champ will even have more motivation to continue playing. The elder James' skills have hardly declined so anything is still possible.

LeBron James' scoring abilities have been doubted for nearly his entire career. If he could push through and hit that number, his critics will be left with nothing to say about his bucket-getting superiority.