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LeBron James extended his all-time scoring record on Saturday by becoming the first NBA player to reach 40,000 regular-season points.

The Los Angeles Lakers star passed the total with a driving left hand layup early in the second quarter, leading to a standing ovation from the Crypto.com Arena crowd. There was no stoppage in play, but it was acknowledged during the ensuing timeout with a video tribute and another ovation.

He entered the matchup against the Denver Nuggets nine points away from 40,000. The milestone comes just a year after he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most career points in NBA history.

Counting both playoff and regular-season points, James already eclipsed 40,000 points — he had 48,014 entering Saturday. However, he’s the first to ever accomplish the feat in the regular season alone.

Here’s how the sports world reacted to James passing 40,000 points.

 

All 12 teams have now played two group stage games at the 2024 Olympics, and one thing looks clear: Team USA remains on track for a fifth straight gold medal in men’s basketball.

Led by Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and LeBron James, Team USA has secured double-digit wins over Serbia and South Sudan. The Americans will wrap up Group C play against Puerto Rico on Saturday having already booked a spot in Tuesday’s quarterfinals. Three other contenders (France, Germany and Canada) also are moving on, but top teams such as Serbia and Australia still have work to do if they want to advance to the knockout rounds.

Several NBA stars outside of Team USA are making a big impact so far in group play. NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama has come up huge for a French squad aiming for Olympic glory on home soil, while Giannis Antetokounmpo is putting up some lofty numbers despite Greece likely facing an early exit.

From the surprise teams and disappointments to the tournament’s top players, here’s what has stood out to our NBA insiders from Olympic competition so far.

1. Team USA’s starting lineup (and sixth man) should be

Kendra Andrews: Curry, James, Jrue Holiday, Anthony Davis, Devin Booker, with Durant as the sixth man. Team USA coach Steve Kerr has said how he plans to continuously change his starting lineup depending on its opponent. Curry, James and Davis should be starters no matter what, and Kerr can adjust from there. If you’re going to settle on one lineup, however, Booker and Holiday should round out the group. Holiday’s defense stabilizes the group, while Booker adds more shooting. Durant, as tremendous as he has been, gives the U.S. a punch off of the bench that no other team can match. It also gives Durant a little cushion as he bounces back from his calf injury — though it doesn’t appear that he needs it.

Marc J. Spears: I like Davis in the starting five at center. He has played consistently the entire tournament, his athleticism and skill set fit international ball well, and he enjoys it. Curry and James definitely belong, with Booker in as a shooter and defender. For Saturday’s group stage finale against Puerto Rico, why not try Durant as a starter to see how it looks? Without the calf injury, I assume he would’ve been starting. Then try Anthony Edwards as the sixth man.

Ohm Youngmisuk: Holiday, Curry, Booker, James and Davis — and Durant should continue in the sixth-man role. Even though Kerr switched things up against South Sudan from the Americans’ win over Serbia — starting Jayson Tatum instead of Holiday — Team USA will need Holiday to open games with his elite defense on the best opposing guard. Davis has simply been a better fit than Joel Embiid with this international style of play on both ends of the floor. Its best starting five from a talent perspective would include Durant, but having him provide his instant scoring off the bench is such a massive advantage.

Jamal Collier: Curry, James and Davis — with Durant as the sixth man — should be locks. But I like the idea of Team USA being able to mix things up with the last two slots depending on matchups. Holiday and Derrick White are versatile and can be inserted against whomever, with Embiid, Booker and Tatum all top candidates off the bench as the games progress.

Andrew Lopez: Curry, James and Davis seem like nonnegotiables at this point. Durant staying as the sixth man seems viable as he works his way back from his calf injury. It might seem like a cop-out, but it works if Kerr continues to rotate the remaining starters based on the opponent. Holiday getting one of the other spots as a defender fits. Need size? Go with Embiid at the 5 and Davis at the 4. Need shooting? Go with Booker and slide James up to the 4.

What to make of Joel Embiid sitting for USA vs. South Sudan

Brian Windhorst details what Steve Kerr had to say about Joel Embiid not playing for the U.S. men’s basketball team against South Sudan.

2. What has been the biggest surprise of group stage play so far?

Youngmisuk: Embiid’s struggles and lack of impact. He did not play against South Sudan and saw just 11 minutes of action (with four points and two rebounds) against Serbia. Perhaps Embiid, who was ill last week and had been hobbled by a knee injury for part of the NBA season, still isn’t 100 percent healthy. Perhaps his game isn’t as suited for international play as we might have thought. Embiid still could be a factor against a Wembanyama-Rudy Gobert front line if Team USA were to play France in the knockout stage. But at this point, Davis and Bam Adebayo have been the better bigs for the Americans.

Spears: I thought France would be much better with Wembanyama, Gobert and that team’s other NBA players. It looked average against Brazil and should have lost to Japan on Tuesday. It’s been an embarrassing start for the home country. Friday’s Group B clash against Germany will reveal a lot about the hosts. Can France get Tony Parker out of retirement to play point guard?

Lopez: How Japan almost pulled off the upset of these Olympics against France on Tuesday. If not for a spectacular four-point play by Matthew Strazel to send the game into overtime, the French squad would have suffered a tough defeat. Les Bleus have two 7-footers in Wembanyama and Gobert, while the tallest player on Japan’s squad is U.S.-born Josh Hawkinson at 6-foot-10. Japan’s leading scorer, Rui Hachimura, didn’t play the majority of the fourth quarter after being ejected — and the French team still struggled. Wembanyama took over in overtime, but it was almost a disaster for a team that is eyeing an Olympic medal on home soil.

Andrews: The respect South Sudan is garnering has been incredibly fun to watch. It almost stole a game from Team USA in a pre-Olympic exhibition then beat Puerto Rico to open up Group C play for a historic first Olympic win. And while the incorrect national anthem was played in South Sudan’s opener, fans are now chanting the names of its players throughout the arena. It plays Serbia on Saturday for a chance at second place in Group C, and South Sudan still can advance as one of the best third-place teams. Heading into the Olympics, it was impossible to predict that a team that just got its first indoor basketball facility would receive such worldwide attention.

Collier: It has been unexpected fun seeing South Sudan, a nation that gained its independence in 2011, get to this stage and compete. The U.S. team that looked dominant against Serbia found itself in a relatively tight battle against South Sudan in Wednesday’s win, providing the group stage with an unlikely underdog. Bonus points for seeing the role former NBA star Luol Deng, who serves as president of the country’s basketball federation, has played in South Sudan’s rise.