Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James continues to add to his impressive resume, reaching a feat he hasn’t accomplished in over 40 years during Saturday’s Game 3 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
In the win, James passed fellow Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for fifth all-time in postseason rebounds. With the departure of Abdul-Jabbar, James became the first player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1975 to rank among the top five in all-game points, rebounds and assists.
With 7,830 career playoff points, James easily holds the all-time lead in this category. James finished second in assists (1965), trailing another Lakers legend, Magic Johnson. And only Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal (2,508), Tim Duncan (2,859), Chamberlain (3,913) and Bill Russell (4,104) have more postseason rebounds than James.
James has long cemented his legacy as one of the game’s greats, but he’s still playing at a rare level, if any, in the NBA by a player as young as 38 years old. His latest achievement is just another notch on a very busy belt for James.
At the end of his legendary career, James appears to be more motivated by rings than individual accomplishments.
The Lakers star is a big reason Los Angeles has a 2-1 series advantage against the defending champs.
After failing to attempt a first-quarter field goal for the first time in his career—playoffs or otherwise—to open Game 3, James dominated the contest, finishing with 21 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in a 127-97 Lakers win. Heading into the pivotal Game 4 on Monday, James tallied 22 points, nine boards and five assists against the Warriors.