Which game could LeBron break the all-time scoring record? originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
It was on Oct. 29, 2003 that an 18-year-old rookie named LeBron James hit a 16-foot jumper against the Sacramento Kings for the first points of his NBA career.
Now, nearly 20 years and more than 38,000 points later, James is set to become the league's all-time leading scorer.
He currently sits second behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has long held the record with 38,387 career points. Projecting when and where James will set the new mark remains an inexact science dependent on LeBron's offensive productivity and overall availability over the next dozen or so games.
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During our preseason story on the 10 must-see games of the NBA regular season, we predicted it would be Feb. 23 against the Golden State Warriors. But LeBron is currently on pace to do so even earlier, having reached the 38,000-point milestone on Jan. 15.
Based solely on James averaging 30.0 points per game this season, it would take another two games for him to score his 38,388th career point. That puts him on pace to score the historic bucket on Feb. 9 against the Milwaukee Bucks at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Of course, it could happen as early as Tuesday if LeBron drops 36 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Here's a look at LeBron's current point total and the Lakers’ upcoming games, one of which will be the setting for a record-breaking moment.
How many points does LeBron need to break the all-time scoring record?
LeBron scored 27 points against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday in what was the final game of the Lakers' five-game road trip.
That brought his career total to 38,352 to put him 36 points behind Abdul-Jabbar for most in league history. James also recently moved into fourth place on the NBA's all-time assists list, passing both Mark Jackson and Steve Nash.
Which game could LeBron break the all-time scoring record?
Here's the Lakers' upcoming schedule...
Feb. 7 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder - LeBron returns to Los Angeles needing a 36-point performance against the Thunder to break the record, possibly with Abdul-Jabbar sitting courtside.
Feb. 9 vs. Milwaukee Bucks - Perhaps LeBron paces himself against the Thunder in order to set the mark against the Bucks, which would be fitting since it's a matchup between the two NBA teams that Abdul-Jabbar played for.
Feb. 11 at Golden State Warriors - Remember when LeBron mean-mugged the Warriors on opening night as they received their championship rings? Maybe he counters with the league's highest individual accomplishment on their home court in front of a national television audience.
