LeBron James came to Detroit two baskets shy of a number no NBA player had reached. The Philadelphia 76ers forward got both against the Pistons on Wednesday, Nov. 4, becoming the first player in league history to make 16,000 regular-season field goals.
The NBA confirmed the milestone during the game. James entered the night with 15,998 career makes, according to Basketball-Reference. His second basket in Detroit put him 163 ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
James had already taken the record from Abdul-Jabbar in March. He did that in a Lakers uniform, on a turnaround jumper in Denver. The first player to reach 16,000 did it in a Sixers jersey eight months later.
LeBron James Stats Tonight Against the Pistons
James had four points, four rebounds and two assists in 8:20 of first-quarter action, according to the live game log. He shot 1-for-2 from the field and 2-for-2 at the line in that opening stint. His first basket was a 15-foot pull-up jumper with 8:15 left in the quarter. The NBA box score tracks his totals as the game progresses.
Through his first six games with Philadelphia, the 41-year-old averaged 16.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists in 33.2 minutes. He shot 45.1% from the field. In Monday’s 126-107 win over Chicago, James had 15 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. He also handed out 10 assists in Philadelphia’s Oct. 28 win at Indiana.
James joined the Sixers in July on a reported two-year, $8 million deal with a player option. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Wednesday’s milestone came in his 24th season and his first with Philadelphia.
NBA All-Time Field Goals Made Leaders
Only James and Abdul-Jabbar have made 14,000 regular-season field goals. Karl Malone, the next player on the NBA’s career leaderboard, finished with 13,528. At the moment James reached 16,000, the gap between him and Malone was 2,472 baskets.
| Rank | Player | Field Goals Made |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LeBron James | 16,000 |
| 2 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 15,837 |
| 3 | Karl Malone | 13,528 |
| 4 | Wilt Chamberlain | 12,681 |
| 5 | Michael Jordan | 12,192 |
A field goal counts as one make whether it’s worth two points or three. Free throws count separately. That distinction helps explain why James passed Abdul-Jabbar in career points in February 2023, more than three years before he passed him in made baskets. Abdul-Jabbar made one career 3-pointer. James had already made more than 2,600 when he got to Philadelphia.
Chamberlain still has the most regular-season field goals in 76ers franchise history. James brought most of his 16,000 with him from Cleveland, Miami and Los Angeles. Philadelphia got the one that put a new number atop the NBA’s list.
Sixers Star LeBron James Makes NBA History Against Pistons