LeBron James celebrated a historic moment during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 119-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night, breaking Michael Jordan’s record for the most 30-point games in NBA history.
“It’s very humbling,” James said following the Lakers’ win.
“Anytime I’m mentioned with any of the greats, and arguably the greatest ever to play the game, super cool.
“It’s someone I idolised in my childhood, and I wear 23 because of him.
“So to know that I can sit here and be in the room or in the conversation or whatever it is, when you mention MJ, it’s just super-duper dope for me, being a kid from where I’m from.
James achieved the record-breaking feat with an 18-foot jumper in the fourth quarter, bringing his total to 563 career regular-season games with at least 30 points.
Jordan had set the previous record of 562 in 2003, reaching it in 1,072 games over 15 seasons. James surpassed the mark in his 1,523rd game, spread across 22 seasons.
Breaking records like a broken record. LeBron James passes Michael Jordan for MOST 30+ point games in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/dkrGtuNnR3
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 4, 2025
Growing up in Ohio, James looked up to Jordan as a major inspiration.
When James surpassed Jordan for fourth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list in 2019, the emotional moment brought him to tears on the Lakers’ bench.
Fittingly, James’ fadeaway jumper to secure his 30-point game on Friday was reminiscent of one of Jordan’s iconic moves, albeit with a personal twist.
“He was more of a left-shoulder fadeaway guy,” James added.
“I kind of go the opposite way. But it’s two masters of their craft, putting in work and work and work to the point where it kind of becomes unguardable.
“It’s just work. It’s just work and dedication. … I watched MJ a lot and saw how on-balance he was, even though he was fading away from the basket. So I just wanted to try to match that as my career has grown in years.”
Friday also marked another milestone for James as he passed Dirk Nowitzki (1,522) for the fourth-most regular-season games played in NBA history.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised James’ latest achievement, stating: “It’s just another thing that he’s done in his career and certainly speaks to his greatness and longevity.”
