Since joining the Lakers in the summer of 2018, LeBron James has continued to add to his already long list of accolades despite being in the twilight years of his career.
At the time of writing, he is 36 points away from surpassing Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for first place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
As he inches closer to becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, James has continued to defy Father Time and continue to play at a high level for nearly two decades, averaging at least 25 points a game in every season of his 20-year career except for one — his rookie year.
Throughout his journey in the NBA, James has had an extended highlight reel of memorable moments and continued to add to that list since coming to Los Angeles. Here are some of James' most memorable moments in a Laker uniform.
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51 Points Against the Miami Heat
In his 16th game since joining the Lakers that summer, James notched 51 points and his first regular-season victory against one of his former teams, the Miami Heat on Nov. 2018.
James reminded the Miami crowd of what they were missing from the beginning of the game, knocking down eight of his first nine attempted shots and finishing with six 3-pointers.
His last shot of the night was a 30-foot three-pointer in the closing seconds, securing James' first 50-point effort in the purple and gold.
With this effort coming so early in the season, many believed it would be a sign of things to come, but injuries halted the Laker’s momentum as they went on to miss the postseason in James’ first season with the franchise.
56 Points Against the Warriors
James’ second 50-point night in a Lakers uniform came last season against the eventual NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors, when he finished with 56 points.
This performance would mark the third most points scored in a regular season game of James’ career.
After this game, James became the seventh player in Lakers’ franchise history to have multiple 50-point games while donning the purple and gold.
The effort marked James’ 13th time scoring 50 points or more in a game over the course of his illustrious career.
James also became the fourth player aged 37 or older to score more than 50 points in a game, joining the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Jamal Crawford.
In the grand scheme of things, the win didn’t change the course of the season for either team as the Lakers went on to miss the postseason while the Warriors clinched their fourth title since 2015.
Passing Kobe Bryant on the All-Time Scoring List
More often than not, a layup from a team facing a 20-point deficit in the second half of a game doesn't hold much meaning.
But, this layup from James in the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers was different.
On Jan. 25, 2020, just hours before the death of Kobe Bryant the next morning, James passed Bryant for third place on the all-time scoring list, passing Bryant’s 36,381 career points.
Coincidentally, James not only achieved this milestone while playing for the same franchise that Bryant did for 20 seasons, he also did it in Bryant’s hometown of Philadelphia.
Bryant’s tweet congratulating James afterward would be the last public message he would share before his death.
Kobe Bryant Memorial Speech
One of the most defining moments of James’ tenure as a Laker came in uniform, but not during a game.
Nearly a week after Bryant’s death, the Lakers returned to Los Angeles to face the Portland Trailblazers in the first game following the tragic helicopter crash.
The Lakers went on to lose the game, 127-119, but the result was the least impactful moment of the night.
During an emotional pregame ceremony a teary-eyed James, wearing Bryant’s iconic No. 24 jersey, took to center court to deliver a speech. Instead of reading from the speech he prepared, James decided to crumple up the paper go off script and send a genuine heartfelt message in the process.
“So in the words of Kobe Bryant, Mamba out. But in the words of us, not forgotten. Live on brother,” James said.
Game 6, 2020 NBA Finals
In 2020, James and company won the 17th title in Lakers franchise history, but it was won under never-before-seen circumstances.
Following the passing of Kobe Bryant in early 2020, along with the suspension of the season in March of that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, James clinched his fourth NBA title in the bubble at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
The Lakers defeated James’ former team, the Miami Heat to be crowned champions, winning the series 4-2, but it was his performance in the series-clinching Game 6 that stood out among the rest.
Up three games to two in the series, James earned his 11th Finals triple-double, finishing with 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists to put the Heat away, 106-93.
James dominated on his way to earning his fourth Finals MVP, averaging 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists during the series.
“Our organization wants their respect. Laker Nation wants their respect,” James declared after the victory. “And I want my damn respect, too.”
