Earlier this month, LeBron James made history, becoming the first player in NBA history to eclipse the 40,000-point scoring mark.
Longevity
The key to James’ career has been his consistency and longevity, playing 21 seasons, 1476 games, and having a points career average of 27.1 points per game, according to Stat Muse.
Comparing the GOATs
Unfortunately for James, since coming into the league in 2003, the ‘King’ has constantly been compared to his ‘Airness’ Michael Jordan.
MJ’s career
Stat Muse reported that Jordan played 1,072 games in his NBA career, retiring twice, and playing 15 seasons altogether. Despite playing 15 seasons, he is still in the top five all-time for scoring, finishing his career with 32,292 points and a career average of 30.1 points per game.
Would he have reached 40,000 points?
Out of the top five NBA all-time scorers, Jordan played significantly fewer games than the top four, leaving fans wondering if he would have reached the 40,000-point mark had he played for as long as LeBron James.
Yes
The answer is yes, he would have reached 40,000 points quicker than LeBron James, as reported by the Sport Rush website.
1,328 games
Jordan averaged 30.1 points per game in the NBA, meaning he would have needed 1,328 games to reach the 40,000-point mark in the NBA.
Breaking Kareem’s record
As reported by ESPN, for perspective, James needed 1,410 games to break Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points in February last year to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
44k point
If Jordan had played the same number of games as LeBron James, then Michael Jordan would have scored 44,427 NBA points. However, with Jordan’s career, these are all what ifs and maybe’s.
James’ greatness
Despite Jordan’s obvious greatness in the NBA, no one comes close to how unbelievable James is at the age of 39 years old.
Still at the top
According to the NBA website, in year 21, James averaged a staggering 25.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 7.9 assists in 35 minutes on the floor.
Taking care of his body
The ‘King’ could still play for another five years, having revolutionized the way an elite athlete can take care of themselves through eating the correct foods, taking the right supplements, and training/recovery for the body. Jordan wouldn’t be able to keep up.
