LeBron James Surpasses Kareem Abdul-Jabbar! Creates History For Most...

Last Updated:March 06, 2026, 12:13 IST

James, who already holds the NBA’s all-time points record, surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 15,837 field goals with a fadeaway jumper in the first quarter.

LeBron James broke the record for the most field goals made in NBA history on Thursday, but this milestone in his illustrious career could not prevent the Los Angeles Lakers from losing 120-113 to the Denver Nuggets.

James, who already holds the NBA’s all-time points record, surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 15,837 field goals with a fadeaway jumper in the first quarter.

The 41-year-old has played a record 23 NBA seasons and has been fuelling retirement rumours in recent weeks, telling reporters in January: “I don’t know what the future holds."

James scored 16 points in Thursday’s loss and appeared to injure his left elbow in the fourth quarter after falling into a cameraman’s legs following a shove off the court.

Play was halted as he was substituted out. James returned to the court for the game’s final two minutes, clearly in pain.

The Nuggets secured a wire-to-wire win, although the Lakers had narrowed the gap to one point with two minutes remaining.

“They’re a difficult team to beat," said Nikola Jokic, who recorded another triple-double with 28 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds. “We scored when we needed."

The result could be crucial for playoff qualification, with the Lakers in the final automatic spot in sixth, just behind the Nuggets. They are two games ahead of the Phoenix Suns, who lost 105-103 to the Chicago Bulls.

James’s career tally of well over 43,000 points is nearly 5,000 more than second-placed Abdul-Jabbar, whom he surpassed in 2023. James reached the points record partly because Abdul-Jabbar played much of his career before the three-pointer was introduced, but the field goal record further attests to his longevity and prowess.

Elsewhere, Victor Wembanyama scored 38 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons 121-106. The French 7-foot-5 prodigy was nearly unplayable as the Spurs notched their second straight wire-to-wire win and their 13th victory from 14 games.

“Any game between top seeds should be impressive. For us, it was super fun," said Wembanyama. “It wouldn’t have been fun if we didn’t… dictate the game. I think we led for 48 minutes," he added.

Wembanyama was well-supported by De’Aaron Fox with 29 points, as the second-placed Spurs moved within three games of the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.

For the Pistons, it marked rare back-to-back losses, despite star man Cade Cunningham’s 26 points in a losing effort.

The Golden State Warriors edged out the Houston Rockets 115-113 in an overtime thriller. The Warriors had led until the end of the third quarter, before a chaotic finish saw 12 lead changes, with regular time ending 101-101.

Kevin Durant scored a huge three-pointer to bring the Rockets within one point with a minute of overtime left. However, after making a league-best 36 consecutive free throws, Durant missed two in a row, leaving his team agonizingly short in their tight race for the third seed in the West.

It was a crucial win for the Warriors, whose form had slumped, leaving them clinging to the eighth spot with injuries to star players including Stephen Curry.

The playoff-chasing Orlando Magic won another thriller against the Dallas Mavericks thanks to last-minute heroics by Jalen Suggs. Nineteen-year-old sensation Cooper Flagg appeared to have secured the win for Dallas, muscling through Wendell Carter Jr for a four-point lead with 37 seconds left.

But Suggs had other ideas, sinking a three-pointer and then finding Carter Jr for a running dunk, sealing a 115-114 victory. Flagg, returning from a foot injury, became the second-youngest player in NBA history to reach the 1,000 career points mark. The only player to achieve that milestone younger? A teenage LeBron James back in 2004.

(With Inputs From Agencies)

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