Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James (29,975) needs just 25 points to become the youngest player in NBA history to reach the 30,000 mark. His first crack at reaching that prestigious milestone comes on Saturday afternoon, as the Cavs are scheduled to wrap up their three-game home stand with a match-up against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
As it turns out, James, now 33 years of age and in his 15th season of NBA service, has a shot at reaching 30K points on the exact same date (January 20) that Karl Malone hit 20K. According to NBA.com, “The Mailman,” as Malone was known, scored his 20,000th point in a 98-84 win over the visiting Cavs on January 20, 1995.
Whether or not James will reach 30K against the Thunder remains to be seen, but it’s safe to say he has a solid shot at it. The King has been on an absolute tear as of late. In his 44 appearances with the Cavs this season, the three-time champion has turned in averages of 27.0 points on 55.4 percent shooting from the field (36.9 percent from beyond the arc), 8.7 assists (career-high), and 8.0 rebounds.
“It’s not up there in the goals I set for myself,” James said after Wednesday’s practice on reaching 30,000 points. “I definitely look at the list (of the NBA’s top scorers). All of the guys who’ve played in this league and the number of guys who’ve played in this league. It’s definitely a select few, select company. So in that right, it’s special. And I can honestly sit here and say that I’ve never set out to set scoring records.”
Saturday afternoon’s game is scheduled to tip inside Quicken Loans Arena at 3:30 p.m. EST with ABC having live broadcast coverage. Let’s see if James can etch his name in the history books.