LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers‘ 40-year-old superstar, LeBron James, became the NBA’s first 50,000-point man Tuesday night.

James came into the Lakers’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans needing just a single point to reach 50,000 combined points for his career in the regular season and postseason. He reached the milestone on his first shot of the game, connecting on a 3-pointer from the left wing off a Luka Doncic feed to put the Lakers up 13-6 with 8:34 remaining in the first quarter.

During an ensuing timeout, Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter called out the accomplishment, telling the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen, we all have just witnessed history.”

The Lakers forward is the league’s all-time leader in both regular-season and postseason scoring — with 41,837 points in the regular season entering Tuesday, and 8,162 in the playoffs.

In 27 games since turning 40, James is averaging 26.1 points on 54.1% shooting (42.3% from 3), 8.2 rebounds and 8.1 assists.

James recently shared a graphic on Instagram showing how those averages compare favorably to his last MVP season in 2012-13, when he averaged 26.8 points on 56.5% shooting (40.6% from 3), 8.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists for the Miami Heat.

The 22-year veteran reached the feat just hours after being named the Western Conference Player of the Month for February. He averaged 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.9 assists and L.A. went 10-2.

“We wouldn’t be in the position we’re in without him playing at the level he’s been playing at,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the Pelicans game. “And that’s offensively and defensively.”

Redick also admitted the Lakers wouldn’t be in the position of celebrating James’ 50,000th point Tuesday if the league had properly recorded the points James scored in recent years in some of the new wrinkles to the schedule.

In three play-in tournament games (2021, 2023, 2024), James scored a combined 75 points. Those points have not been added to James’ career playoff total. And in the in-season tournament championship game in 2023, James scored 24 points. Those points are not reflected in his regular-season career total, either.

“I have a strong feeling towards the play-in tournament, that those little one-game scenarios are playoff games,” Redick said. “I think those games should count, for sure, in the playoffs.”