LeBron James’ Scoring Streak Comes to an End

It seems fatherhood might finally be catching up to LeBron James.

His impressive run of scoring at least 10 points per game came to an unexpected halt in the Lakers’ recent 123-120 victory against the Raptors, marking an incredible 1,297 consecutive games.

In the final moments, when James had a chance to keep his streak alive by scoring, he chose instead to pass the ball to teammate Rui Hachimura, who then hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.

During the game, James’ shooting was notably off, with just 4-of-17 from the field and 0-of-5 from three-point range. He did contribute six rebounds and 11 assists, though.

When reporters inquired about his feelings regarding the end of the streak, his response was straightforward.

“Nothing. We won,” he said.

This streak dates back to January 6, 2007, when a then-22-year-old James only scored eight points in a game against the Bucks while playing for the Cavaliers. His 1,297 consecutive games with at least ten points remains a record in the NBA, far surpassing Michael Jordan’s second-place total of 866 games from 1986 to 2001.

Interestingly, James had barely scraped by the past couple of games; he scored just 10 points in a loss to the Suns beforehand. While his streak is impressive, it specifically counts only regular season games, and he has not reached ten points in two playoff games during this streak.

At age 40 and in his 23rd season in the NBA, James has shown some signs of slowing down. After missing the first three weeks of the season due to right sciatica, he has averaged only 15.2 points, four rebounds, and 7.2 assists over the last five games.

As for his plans moving forward, James hasn’t shared a retirement timeline yet. Nevertheless, he did mention last September a desire to step away “sooner or later.” It’ll be interesting to see how he navigates the rest of the season.