LeBron James Breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's Field Goal Record

JAKARTA - Basketball star LeBron James managed to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's field goals record in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) when his team Los Angeles Lakers suffered a defeat against the Denver Nuggets.

The LA Lakers suffered their 25th defeat in the 2025-2026 calendar when they traveled to the Nuggets' home at the Pepsi Center, Denver, USA, on Friday, March 6, 2026. The match ended with a score of 120-113 for the hosts.

James, who played 34 minutes in the game, made the historic moment through a spinning jump shot from the baseline past Denver Nuggets player Zeke Nnaji, when the first quarter of the game was only 12.3 seconds left.

It was his third shot that managed to enter the match and the 15,838th in his career. The number automatically surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record for the most field goals in NBA history.

"Being able to link my name with some of the greatest players to ever play the sport always humbles me and is a really cool thing," James said after the game.

James finished the game with 16 points in seven shots that came from 11 attempts. This achievement also automatically further strengthens James' dominance in the most prestigious basketball competition.

He previously also managed to surpass Abdul-Jabbar as the highest scorer of all time on February 7, 2023. At that time, he managed to collect a total of 38,388 points and now he has passed the 43,000 mark.

"I grew up watching, reading, and idolizing a lot of great players. If I can be a part of the NBA, I want to put myself in a position where my name can be mentioned alongside some of the other great players," James said.

Earlier this season, James also surpassed Michael Cooper to take fifth place on the Lakers' all-time assist list and joined Kobe Bryant as the other Lakers player to score 1,000 three-pointers.

The next important statistic that James can chase is Robert Parish's record of 1,611 games. He is currently in second place with 1,606 games and can surpass Parish on March 16, 2026 against the Houston Rockets if he continues to play until that game.