On Jan. 16, 2013, LeBron James passed Kobe Bryant as the youngest player to reach 20,000 career points.
LeBron James and Kobe Bryant were two of the standout players of their era, with their legacies, milestones and accomplishments debated and discussed often. Feats Bryant would accomplish first — winning an NBA title, making an All-Star team and more — were often accomplished shortly thereafter by James.
Such was the case on Jan. 16, 2013, when James reached the 20,000-career points mark in a Miami Heat road win against the Golden State Warriors. James eclipsed the milestone Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors when he made a short jumper with 2:45 left in the second quarter to give him 2,001 career points. He needed 18 points entering the game to be the 38th NBA player to reach the mark.
James said he knew before the shot he was a point away from the milestone.
“The best part about it is I was in a rhythm, too, so it wasn’t one of those forced shots,” he said. “I was able to get the switch on David Lee and get to the elbow and make a shot. It’s pretty cool.”
Bryant was the youngest before that to reach that mark, scoring his 20,000th career point when he was 29 years, 122 days old. James was 28 years, 17 days when he accomplished the feat. When James reached the 10,000-point mark, he did so at 23 years and 59 days, more than a year younger than Bryant was when he hit the milestone in 2003 (24 years, 193 days).
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