LeBron James continues to rewrite the record books.
Entering Tuesday night’s contest against the LA Clippers, LeBron had scored 40 points against every NBA team except his local rivals.
No longer.
James piled up 46 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and a block, but it wasn’t enough as the Clippers secured a 133-115 win — their 10th straight against the Lakers.
IT’S OFFICIAL! 💥
LeBron James has scored 40 points against EVERY single NBA team 🐐👑
(🎥: @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/MTAfDpK0YR
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 25, 2023
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He is the first player in NBA history to score 40 points against every NBA team and joins Lakers legend Kobe Bryant as the only two players to ever score 40 points against every team they’ve played against.
Bryant spent his entire 20-year career in the purple and gold, while James achieved the feat in stints in Cleveland, Miami, and now Los Angeles.
With 40 points tonight, LeBron James has now scored 40 points against every NBA franchise.
LeBron also joins Kobe Bryant as the only players to score 40 points against every NBA team they’ve played against. pic.twitter.com/h8kQFrea84
— The Laker Files (@LakerFiles) January 25, 2023
If setting one record wasn’t enough on Tuesday night, LeBron also became the first player in NBA history to make nine or more 3-pointers at age 35 or older, connecting on 9-of-14 attempts from long range.
LeBron James is the first player in NBA history to make 9+ threes in a game at age 35 or older.
9 threes is also a new career high. pic.twitter.com/hs5Ek8vvqy
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) January 25, 2023
As he continues his march toward Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record, LeBron now sits just 178 points away from breaking what was long seen as one of the league’s unbreakable records.
“I never thought that I could catch Kareem in scoring, that’s never been something that’s been on my mind,” he said postgame.
“…As it gets closer and closer I’ll think I’ll start to feel it more and more but I haven’t really tried to put myself in that moment, I’ve gotten to this place by not even thinking about it, just trying to play the game the right way.
The Lakers now sit at 22-26 on the season, in 13th place in the Western Conference, however, they are just 1.5 games back of the Golden State Warriors in the final Play-In seed.
The good news: As reported by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, big man Anthony Davis is expected to return to the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after missing five-and-a-half weeks with a foot injury.