LeBron James becomes first player to score 40 against all 30 teams
LeBron James continues to make history as he nears the all-time scoring record.
With his 46-point performance against the Clippers on Tuesday, LeBron James now stands just 178 points away from passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time scoring leader.
As that historic moment creeps closer and closer – at his current scoring average (30.2 ppg), LeBron is on pace to pass Kareem on Feb. 4 against New Orleans – LeBron added another accolade to his storied career on Tuesday, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 40 points against all 30 franchises.
| Opponent | 40-Point Games | Career PPG | Career GP | % 40-Point Games |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 6 | 28.7 | 61 | 9.8% |
| Miami Heat | 5 | 28.0 | 43 | 11.6% |
| Atlanta Hawks | 4 | 27.5 | 62 | 6.5% |
| Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats | 4 | 28.4 | 54 | 7.4% |
| Indiana Pacers | 4 | 27.3 | 63 | 6.3% |
| New York Knicks | 4 | 26.6 | 56 | 7.1% |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 4 | 28.9 | 40 | 10.0% |
| Boston Celtics | 3 | 28.8 | 57 | 5.3% |
| Detroit Pistons | 3 | 24.1 | 61 | 4.9% |
| New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets | 3 | 27.0 | 44 | 6.8% |
| Brooklyn/New Jersey Nets | 2 | 27.7 | 59 | 3.4% |
| Chicago Bulls | 2 | 28.5 | 60 | 3.3% |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 2 | 29.0 | 20 | 10.0% |
| Dallas Mavericks | 2 | 27.1 | 39 | 5.1% |
| Golden State Warriors | 2 | 27.7 | 37 | 5.4% |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 2 | 25.4 | 43 | 4.7% |
| Orlando Magic | 2 | 25.6 | 60 | 3.3% |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 2 | 27.5 | 54 | 3.7% |
| Phoenix Suns | 2 | 27.2 | 39 | 5.1% |
| Sacramento Kings | 2 | 26.8 | 38 | 5.3% |
| San Antonio Spurs | 2 | 28.1 | 40 | 5.0% |
| Utah Jazz | 2 | 28.2 | 37 | 5.4% |
| Washington Wizards | 2 | 27.3 | 56 | 3.6% |
| Denver Nuggets | 1 | 26.4 | 40 | 2.5% |
| Houston Rockets | 1 | 25.8 | 39 | 2.6% |
| LA Clippers | 1 | 24.6 | 41 | 2.4% |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 1 | 27.6 | 30 | 3.3% |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 1 | 26.1 | 39 | 2.6% |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 1 | 28.1 | 34 | 2.9% |
| Toronto Raptors | 1 | 27.2 | 58 | 1.7% |
This isn’t the first feat of this kind for LeBron; back in November 2019, he became the first player in league history to record a triple-double against all 30 teams. His current teammate, Russell Westbrook, joined him in that club two months later.
LeBron finished Tuesday’s game with 46 points on 16-of-29 shooting from the field while making a career-high nine 3-pointers in 14 attempts. His ninth triple of the game cut what was once a 21-point fourth-quarter lead for the Clippers down to 10 with 6:46 to play, capping off a 15-point scoring burst from LeBron in just over four minutes of game time as he made three 3-pointers, a pair of free throws and a pair of dunks. The Clippers held LeBron scoreless the rest of the way and outscored the Lakers 20-12 to finish the game, securing a 133-115 win.
Tuesday’s 46-point effort was LeBron’s 73rd career regular season game with at least 40 points – he has another 28 on his playoff resume – and his first against the Clippers in 41 games played. The Clippers have held LeBron to his second-lowest scoring average against any opponent at 24.6 points per game; only Detroit has been stingier to LeBron, allowing just 24.1 ppg in 61 career games.
While the Clippers finally allowed a 40+ point game to LeBron, they still picked up the victory to extend their win streak over the Lakers to 10 in a row in this intracity rivalry. LeBron losing while scoring at least 40 points is a rarity; following Tuesday’s game, LeBron’s teams are now 60-13 (.822) when he scores at least 40 points.
Most Frequent 40+ Point Game Victim
- Milwaukee Bucks: LeBron has six 40+ point performances in 61 career games, scoring at least 40 in nearly 10% of his games against the Bucks.
Highest Percentage of 40+ Point Games
- Miami Heat: With five 40+ point performances in 43 games played, LeBron has scored at least 40 in 11.6% of his game played against his former team. LeBron’s 40+ point game rate for his career is 5.2% (73 40+ point games in 1,404 games played).
- Portland Trail Blazers and Cleveland Cavaliers: Both teams have allowed LeBron to score at least 40 in 10% of their games played – four in 40 games played against the Blazers and two in 20 games played against the Cavaliers.
Highest Scoring Average
- 29.0 ppg vs. Cleveland in 20 career games against former team
- 28.9 ppg vs. Portland in 40 career games, highest vs. Western Conference opponent
Highest Scoring Game
- 61 points, Miami vs. Charlotte on March 3, 2014
- 13 more 50+ point games, with all but two coming on the road
