James became the NBA's all-time scoring leader over a year ago when he passed former Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in a home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 7, 2022. Abdul-Jabbar had 38,387 points over 20 seasons.

James entered Saturday's game with a career average of 27.1 points per game over 1,474 contests in 21 NBA seasons.

Needing nine points to reach his latest milestone, the Akron, Ohio, native had five points on 2-of-3 shooting in the first quarter.

James cut to the basket for a layup to open the second quarter then reached the 40,000 mark when he drove past the Nuggets' Michael Porter Jr. with a spin then made a left-handed layup with 10:39 remaining in the second quarter.

James finished with 26 points but the Lakers lost to the Nuggets, 124-114.

The 39-year-old has been on a scoring surge of late, with an average of 30.8 points over his previous four games. James entered the game averaging 25.3 points per game this season with 7.1 rebounds and 7.9 assists.

James scored the first points of his career as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 29, 2003, against the Sacramento Kings. He reached 10,000 points in February 2008, and hit 20,000 points in January 2013. James made his 30,000th point in January 2018.