LeBron James became the NBA’s all-time leader in combined regular season and postseason wins after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 1. With this victory, James reached his 1,229th career win, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most in league history.
This milestone adds to a long list of records held by James, who is also the NBA’s all-time leader in points, minutes played, games played, and field goals made. The achievement underscores his longevity and sustained excellence over a career that has spanned more than two decades.
The night was notable for other milestones as well. Rui Hachimura scored his 5,000th career point while Luka Doncic reached 15,000 points at the end of a strong March performance. Additionally, head coach JJ Redick earned his 100th win in just two seasons with the Lakers.
James continues to play at a high level at age 41 in his 23rd season. He has been credited with adapting to whatever role is needed to help his team succeed. Reflecting on recent team performance and chemistry following another win, James said: “We’re in a good place right now. The chemistry is high. Everyone loves being around each other. We love playing for one another. We love being off the floor with one another. It’s a good tight-knit group and we gotta carry that for the rest of the regular season then I feel like the postseason is a whole new season.”
James’ latest record came against Cleveland—the team from his hometown where he began his NBA career and won an NBA Championship in 2016—making this achievement especially meaningful.
Looking ahead, James has stated that he wants to continue competing for championships as he nears retirement age while contributing to what he describes as strong team unity within this current Lakers roster.
