LeBron James celebrated his 36th birthday on Wednesday, and he did it with a milestone that only he could reach.
Facing the San Antonio Spurs, the Los Angeles Lakers star posted double-digit points for the 1,000th straight game of his career, extending an NBA-record streak into quadruple digits. James eventually finished the game with 26 points on 11-of-23 shooting, 8 assists and 5 rebounds.
James sealed the milestone in the second quarter, nailing a turnaround jumper in the paint.
James set the 10-point streak record in March 2018 with 867 games, breaking Michael Jordan’s old streak. The only other active player in the NBA with a streak longer than 200 games is James Harden with 411, per NBA.com.
In the vast landscape of James’ accomplishments, few accomplishments sum up his greatness more than his 10-point streak. For more than a decade, James has taken the floor and delivered something on offense, whatever the circumstances.
The record is also a testament to James’ durability. While he has missed some games over the years, including 27 in the 2018-19 season, he has never left a game before scoring 10 points, or been held back enough by a minutes limit.
James’ streak dates all the way back to Jan. 5 2007, when he scored only eight points against the Milwaukee Bucks. In the time since, he has scored exactly 10 points three times, per ESPN, but never lower.
However, this milestone comes with the important note that it is only regular-season games. Over the course of the streak, James has finished in single digits twice in the playoffs, most recently a seven-point effort with the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the 2014 Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers.