LeBron James did it again. The Los Angeles Lakers’ superstar has officially broken Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record for most field goals in NBA history, cementing his status as one of basketball’s greatest players of all time.

James hit a 12-foot turnaround jumper over Denver Nuggets player Zeke Nnaji with just 12 seconds left in the first quarter on Thursday night. That bucket gave him 15,838 career field goals, surpassing Abdul-Jabbar’s previous record of 15,837. The achievement comes in James’ unprecedented 23rd NBA season, a testament to his longevity and consistency at the highest level of professional basketball.

What makes this record even more wild is the context. Abdul-Jabbar, widely considered one of the most efficient scorers in basketball history, attempted only 28,307 field goals during his 20-year career. James, meanwhile, has already attempted 31,274 field goals entering Thursday’s game. The difference comes down to era and playing style. Abdul-Jabbar was a low-post virtuoso who shot over 55% for 19 straight seasons at the start of his career and barely took three-pointers (just 18 in his entire career). James, playing in a different era where three-point shooting is essential, has attempted over 7,500 threes while maintaining a 51.6% shooting percentage overall.

This latest achievement adds to an already historic resume. James already became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in February 2023, surpassed 50,000 career points combined across the regular season and playoffs last year, and holds the record for most playoff games played with 292. At 41 years old, he regularly sets records simply by continuing to play at an elite level.

Lakers coach J.J. Redick perfectly captured the magnitude of James’ career before the game, comparing him to Bruce Springsteen. According to Redick, just like the legendary musician kept adding to his greatest hits throughout his career, James continues to accumulate incredible achievements season after season. “His greatest hits, he’s got a hell of a catalog,” Redick said.

There’s more history on the horizon for the King. The Thursday night game against Denver was James’ 1,606th regular-season game, putting him just five games away from Robert Parish’s record of 1,611 games played. If he stays healthy through March, that record could fall too.

While James hasn’t officially committed to returning next season, he’s indicated he believes he can keep playing at a high level indefinitely. He was selected for the All-Star Game for the 22nd time despite missing 18 games to injury this season. Whatever happens next, one thing is clear: LeBron James isn’t done making history.