40K points is unfathomable

Mon, March 4th, 2024

Author

The Grip
March 04, 2024

The Opening Tip

  • The impossible journey to 40K points

  • Caitlin Clark eclipsed Pistol Pete on Sunday 

  • There was an ultra-rare 30-rebound game last night

Must watch games

1. This is the NBA’s version of 4,256 hits

The benchmark for a great NBA scorer is 20,000 points. LeBron doubled that on Saturday, founding the 40,000-point club.

Whatever he ends up with -- likely somewhere in the 43-45,000 range -- will become the NBA’s version of MLB’s unbeatable lifetime record: Pete Rose’s 4,246 hits. 

  • Rose’s will never be beaten because it’s of another era: Hits in MLB aren’t coveted like they were, 24 productive seasons isn’t realistic anymore, etc. 

LeBron’s 40K-plus record won’t be beaten because it’s fucking ridiculous.

Via Twitter user @forumbluegold: Just to reach 40,000, a rookie next season needs to average 24.4 PPG and not miss a game for 20 years.

The ‘best’ chance among active players is probably Luka Doncic (25 years old, 10,930 career points). 

  • If he plays every game this season and maintains his 2023-24 scoring average, he’d enter next season with 11,654 points. 

  • To break 40K, he’d have to play every game starting next October for 15 years -- the last of which would be his age 41 season -- while averaging 23 PPG. 

It takes all-world conditioning, eerie consistency, the motivation to want to play that long, all-world talent, employability and the ability to adapt to several eras and future rule changes. And only LeBron will ever have all of those things.

[WATCH: LeBron’s 40,000th point]

2. Daily GIF: (Anticlimactic) history

The player known for logo 3-pointers broke the NCAA’s all-time scoring record on a technical free-throw from a flop. We even had Gus Johnson on the call ready to go wild. Shame.

[READ: Caitlin Clark is 1 of 1: 'We've never seen a woman play like this']

3. Trivia

Who is the fastest player by games played to hit 1,000 3s?

• Klay Thompson

• Steph Curry

• Trae Young

• Buddy Hield

Guess, click and see if you're right.

4. Numbers we found interesting but couldn’t find a higher use for

31 rebounds

Jusef Nurkic grabbed 31 rebounds in last night’s loss to the Thunder. It was the most in one game since Kevin Love’s 31 in 2010. Before that, it was Dennis Rodman’s 34 on this exact day in 1994.

22.1 PPG

We’ll just pick one ludicrous stat from the Celtics’ recent dominance: During this 11-game win streak, Boston’s outscoring its opponent by an average of 22.1 PPG, most ever during any 10-plus-game win streak.

3,685 points, 2,593 shots

Just an interesting stat: Caitlin Clark currently has 3,685 points on 2,593 shots. Pete Maravich at LSU had 3,667 on 3,166 shots.

23,002 points

Stumbled upon while perusing Basketball Reference: DeMar DeRozan has 23,002 career points, which is 40th all-time. It’s not even a debate. He’s making the Hall of Fame.

Quick hits

  • Every embarrassing moment in modern NBA history somehow involves Chris Paul. 

  • There’s some creepy No. 1 overall pick synergy happening in San Antonio. 

  • Jalen Brunson had an all-time injury scare last night, but appears to not be seriously hurt. 

  • Nike’s Caitlin Clark ad in Iowa City is pretty clever. 

  • NBA vet Mike Muscala updates his LinkedIn like some 9-to-5 chump.

Reads

  • The Boston Celtics are demolishing the NBA [Wall Street Journal]

  • How the Thunder are similar to the 73-win Warriors [ESPN]

  • The Nuggets own the Lakers [Defector]

  • Michael Rubin will never get the benefit of the doubt with crummy sports apparel [Defector]

That's the buzzer.
Thanks for reading the 364th edition of The Grip.