On his 38th birthday, LeBron James made it sure to celebrate with a gigantic splash.
On Friday, Dec. 30, James powered the Los Angeles Lakers on the 130-121 road win over the Atlanta Hawks, notching a season-high 47 markers in a near triple-double stat line of 10 boards and nine assists.
He also shot a highly efficient 18-for-27 shooting to cap off a robust night, including 4-of-6 output from the three-point territory.
“I’ve been scoring 30 and it hasn’t worked so … try 40,” James said, per Kyle Goon of Los Angeles Daily News. “And we got a win.”
James’ 47 points becomes the third-most scored by a player aged 38 or older, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 46-point mark back in 1986.
Jamal Crawford and Michael Jordan share the holding of the record for the most points, registering 51 markers at age 39 and 38, respectively.
The Lakers’ erasure of 15-point edge by the Hawks didn’t come in by just the singular effort of James. Big man Thomas Bryant tallied a solid 19-point and 17-board double-double, with Russell Westbrook going off for 14 points and 11 assists.
