OAKLAND — It appears that “The King’ will soon add another jewel to his NBA crown of achievements.
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player and gold-medalist LeBron James of the defending NBA champion Miami Heat is closing in on another milestone in his illustrious NBA career.
James, 28, is eighteen points away from being the 38th player in NBA history to reach 20,000 career points. Barring injury, he will likely achieve the feat Wednesday night, against the Golden State Warriors in Oracle Arena.
If all goes well, LeBron will be the youngest player ever to reach 20,000 points. (28 years, 17 days) He is also the youngest player to record a triple-double and score 10,000 points. On Wednesday, it also mark LeBron’s 726th regular season game, which means he has played in more games than the legends that he will pass.
To put it in proper perspective, it took Wilt Chamberlain 499 games and Michael Jordan 620 games to reach this exact milestone.
“LeBron can think about shooting, then he’ll see one of his teammates are open, and then he makes the right play and gets the ball to them,” his teammate Wade said.
LeBron will not shoot until he reaches 20,000 points like Wade has said, as he is very wise with the ball. James, a likely MVP candidate, has put together an impressive 26 points, 6.9 assists, with 8.2 rebounds per game. If he can stay consistent with these stats, it is a no-brainer he will win his fourth MVP award.
James has scored at least 18 points in 74 of his last 75 games, as he will likely earn this milestone before Wednesday comes to a close.
“You look at how many players have come through this league, the history of the game,” James said. “That 20K mark is very limited. How many guys have done that? It’s very, very limited.”
When you consider that only 38 players in the history of the NBA have achieved 20,000 points in a career, it shows how difficult it is to reach that milestone. LeBron will join big names like Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, Chamberlain, and Jordan when he drops his 18th point.
LeBron is a special kind of player. More like a freak of nature. It is obvious he will amass 18 points, and maybe make the day more special with a triple-double.