Almost everything he does on an NBA court will be a milestone going forward for LeBron James .
He, however, is going to a place no player has gone before – 40,000 points.
If scenarios play out based on averages, James should hit that astronomical, seemingly untouchable number in the first half of the Los Angeles Lakers game at home against the defending champion Denver Nuggets .
More than half those points, 23, 119 will have come from the time he spent with the Cleveland Cavaliers , where he remains the team's lifetime leading scorer.
His time with the Miami Heat accounts for 7,919 points.
James is averaging 25.3 points per game, which means the memorable moment should come in the first half.
Will it be magical? It's likely nothing will ever compare to winning a championship for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. And it especially won't be on the level of breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record last season – a milestone that no one thought would ever be passed.
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Still, it is a number that's to be appreciated by James fans and especially those fans from Akron. It's a testament to greatness and longevity.
When he entered the NBA in 2003 January and February movie releases mattered.
Arnold Schwarzenegger won the governor's office of California.
Michael Jordan was retiring.
Facebook didn't exist.
And the Boston Red Sox had yet to break the "Curse of the Bambino (Babe Ruth)."
Yes, he's been around a long, long time and he's still playing at a high level despite more than two decades in the league.
Not surprisingly, fans can wager on when the historical moment will happen. Betonline.ag has set odds.
2-point FG +115
Free Throw +200
3-point FG +225
2nd QTR -140
1st QTR +145
3rd QTR +600
4th QTR +1400
D'Angelo Russell +200
Austin Reaves +250
Anthony Davis +300
Rui Hachimura +550
Spencer Dinwiddie +600
Taurean Prince +700
Jaxson Hayes +1000
Max Christie +1400
Cam Reddish +1800
Barring injury it may be a sure bet that James will set that longevity record for playing on two levels. Vince Carter played 22 NBA season s. James is currently on No. 21.
Here, however, is a fundamental difference. Carter averaged 5.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and .8 assists per game in 2019-20, his final season.
As for James?
At 25.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game, there' still plenty of gas left in that tank.
Even with that many seasons, however, Carter hasn't played in the most NBA games. That honor belongs to former Boston Celtics center Robert Parish who played in 1,611 in 21 seasons (the Celtics made a lot of playoff runs during his career). At 1,474 and counting, that mark is in view for James.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: LeBron James can break 40,000 point milestone against Denver Nuggets
