Chris Paul thinks LeBron James will be NBA’s All-time leading scorer

Could LeBron James top 40,000 points before all is said and done?

LeBron James has had quite an amazing NBA career already. He would still go to the Hall of Fame if he retired tomorrow, but he seems to be just getting started. The longevity of his work is truly astounding, and his close friends in the NBA have taken notice.

Chris Paul, in particular, had some complimentary words about one of his best buddies.

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LeBron is currently seventh on the All-time NBA scoring list with 30,305 points, and he is in elite company. He is right behind Dirk Nowitzki at the moment, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is at the top with 38,387.

For LeBron to score over 40,000 points, he would have to play at least five more seasons, but he could conceivably top Kareem’s total in four years of stellar play.

The biggest threat to LeBron might actually be Kevin Durant. KD has already scored over 20,000 points, and his skills will age quite nicely if he decides to have a long career.

The most impressive thing about LeBron is that scoring has never been his top priority. He gets more joy out of racking up assists and rebounds than he does points.

Paul might just be buttering up LeBron to make a run at him in free agency this summer, but CP3 knows the basketball landscape more than most. He has also probably asked James in private about future career plans.

If LeBron plays until he is 40, then there will be a lot of records that fall in the process. Paul already sees the possibility of that happening, and it’s hard to argue with his logic when you look at the numbers.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/23/2018.

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LeBron will get there. It’s just a matter of whether he limps to the finish line or sets a new standard.