The first "Mr. 39,000 points" in history, how did LeBron James do it?

Against the Jazz, 17 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists made LeBron James the first "39,000 points" in NBA history with 39,012 points.

He's not the super scorer people think he's going to have, and he's admitted it himself. His idols when he entered the industry were magicians, Jordan and, now, "pennies", as few people mention. Even at the beginning of his entry into the League, the template he was set was a magician.

But twenty-one years later, he has overshadowed everyone in the most fundamental aspect of the basketball game.

From being questioned at the beginning that he couldn't shoot, to being humiliated by Barria in the 2011 finals,

From habitually being let go of one step to defend, to now hitting 2.2 three-pointers with a 39.7% shooting rate,

From the breakthrough basket that was thought to rely only on the body of a beast, to the full coverage of far, mid and near, all kinds of scoring methods have been included in the arsenal.

For 21 years, his alien-like body supported the most essential reason, but in the process,

LeBron James, from a playmaker who doesn't love scoring so much, to the NBA's overall scoring champion and pulling everyone farther and farther away, has actually come a long way.

1. James 1.0: 2003-2007, Beast small forward

The year LeBron joined the NBA, Michael Jordan had just retired from the Wizards for the second and also permanent.

But because of his existence, he has left a large number of "swing guards" in the league, and each team has its own "Jordan successor".

The four quarterbacks led by Kobe, AI, Maddy, and Carter, scorers with different characteristics like Ray Allen and Pierce, and even Ricky Davis, who thinks "LeBron is here to help me", is also a swingman with excellent heads-up ability.

LeBron, who has just entered the league, is still positioned in the traditional small forward position. The point guard takes the ball, cuts and moves in the air, catches the ball and shoots, or heads up with the ball.

He was more than any player in his position at the time: passing skills and big-picture vision comparable to Pippen, as well as the strength and explosiveness that could crush most players in his position.

He's not bad at mid-range shooting, in fact, in his second season (04-05) he shot 35.1% of his three-pointers (1.5 per game), which is an efficiency that he hasn't been able to achieve so far, and this was almost two decades ago.

This is the shooting distribution chart of LeBron in the 04-05 regular season, who dares to say that he can't shoot?

It's just that compared to his exaggerated and exaggerated powerful breakouts and under-basket finishing, this offensive style is really unnecessary.

At a time when LeBron hasn't yet reached the stage of competing for a championship, but is recklessly swaying his talent and trying to make a name for himself with statistics, this is obviously a more appropriate way to attack.

And when LeBron can kill opponents with mid-to-long shots, he's unstoppable in the East.

In the first playoff game of his career, in the 2007 Eastern Conference finals, Wang Shan scored 25 consecutive points in double overtime to defeat the Pistons, and 20 of his 48 points came from mid-range shooting.

Especially in the second overtime, when both sides were exhausted, he made two mid-range shots and a three-pointer to completely destroy the will of the Pistons.

He knew better than anyone how important it was in the playoffs, but he didn't need it most of the time.

2. James 2.0: 2007-14, all-round striker

When he shocked the world in 2007 at the age of 23, the Cleveland Cavaliers realized that he could really control the game on his own.

Basketball doesn't have to be a five-person sport, it can also be a game of superman with four mortals.

The concept of "holding the ball" in modern basketball really became a reality in the game from James in that period, and it was he who made a player highly concentrated in the game and integrate various functions of the game into a reality.

Not only does he have that ability, but he also has the body to do it.

In the 2007-08 season, he won the only scoring title of his career.

On February 28, 2008, at the age of 23 years and 59 days, LeBron became the youngest Mr. 10,000 points.

Since then, another legendary Kobe Bryant has broken the record for the youngest scorer.

But at that time, he probably didn't know that more than ten years later, he would renovate the league's "oldest record" one by one, just like an old farmer farmed.

The 2008-09 season was a significant one for LeBron, not only because he won his first MVP, but also because he was named to the All-Defensive Team for the first time, and then sat here for five years.

The fierce battle with the Pistons in previous years, the loss to the Spurs in the Finals, and the loss to the Green Army in the 07-08 season made LeBron realize the importance of excellent defense to win the championship. Since the beginning of the year, he has evolved from a dominant player on the offensive end of the team to an all-round striker who affects both offense and defense.

From the original "little magician who can score" to "magician + Pippen".

But at that time, the knights couldn't keep up with his pace, and the interior line was still hoarding traditional interior lines like Big Z, Big Ben, and Vallejo, and there were still two on the inside, not to mention the obstacles on the offensive end, and the young monster couldn't be carried on defense.

Although by that time LeBron had grown into a well-rounded attacker: offensive skills were more sophisticated. Breakaways with the ball, pick-and-roll starts, pull-and-go shots, open three-pointers, and step-back jumpers have all been included in his regular arsenal.

In the series that he was eliminated by the Magic, he averaged 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8 assists per game).

In the '09-10 season, LeBron tried again, this time at the hands of the Green Army. So he made that decision and went to Miami.

After coming to the Heat, although James had Wade and Bosh to help him in the first season, the team's interior configuration was still Bosh standing at the No. 4 position, with Big Z and Joel Anthony playing center. Although he made it all the way to the finals, he was finally defeated by the super-god Nowitzki.

Both James and Riley understood that to get the most out of themselves, they had to have plenty of space.

So since 2011, James's forward partners have ranged from Battier, Lewis, Mike Miller to Kevin Love, Channy Fry, and then to the Lakers' Kuzma and Thick Eyebrows, all of whom have a three-point hand that can open up enough space for James.

And he is close to the peak of both physical and technical skills, and finally has become the most powerful existence in his career.

On the offensive end, he can still rely on unsolvable breakthroughs to crush inside and dunk points, and the enhancement of shooting ability also makes up for his last technical shortcomings.

In the 2013 Finals tie-break, he faced Leonard's defense with a pull-up shot and a 5-of-10 three-pointer, as well as a total of 37 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists to announce to the world:

You're going to have to deal with me differently in the future.

In 2011, he once became the laughing stock of the league because he couldn't beat Barria in the Finals, but in the offseason, he went to Dameng to make up for his last shortcomings on the offensive end.

A year later, he "sat to death" James Harden, who was several levels stronger than Barria, with his back.

At this stage, LeBron is in the most perfect period of combining body and technique. He has not yet reached the age of 30, he has a unique talent and divine power, and at the same time, there are no obvious shortcomings in various basketball skills to be targeted.

On June 12, 2013, at the age of 28 years and 18 days, he once again surpassed Kobe Bryant to become the youngest Mr. 20,000 points in history, and the opponent on that day was the Golden State Warriors.

Even he didn't expect it. The little man opposite him with an innocent smile and a pure archery will be his biggest opponent in the second half of his career.

On June 12, 2013, at the age of 28 years and 18 days, he once again surpassed Kobe Bryant to become the youngest Mr. 20,000 points in history, and the opponent on that day was the Golden State Warriors.

Even he didn't expect it. The little man opposite him with an innocent smile and a pure archery will be his biggest opponent in the second half of his career.

3. LeBron 3.0: 2014-18, master of control

In 2009-14, LeBron was at his peak physically and technically, and was arguably the strongest version of himself.

But I prefer him after 2014 because he showed the mental strength of a great sportsman.

He returned to the Cavaliers once again, promising to give back a championship to Cleveland, where no professional sports team had won a national championship before 2016.

His partners also changed from Wade and Bosh to the younger and more championship-hungry Irving and Bosh. And the opponent has also changed from the Spurs and Thunder to the more difficult and powerful Warriors.

The thirty-year-old LeBron has been predicted by many to be on the downhill slope of his career. And he's quietly making changes.

He's been out of the All-Defensive Team ever since, and he's not used to taking rotations, but he's becoming more and more comfortable adjusting and resting on the court, so he's spending less and less on the defensive end and he's becoming more selective.

He left more of the stage for Irving and the shooters around him, and became more and more mellow in exploiting defenders' fears of him to create opportunities for his teammates.

He can still score as much as he wants, but he's more obsessed with keeping the game firmly in control.

The reason why it is said is the East is because there are Curry and the Warriors in the West.

In 2015-18, the finals were fought for four consecutive years.

In 2015, the Warriors defeated the "Cleveland Seven" without Irving and Love with the epoch-making Death Five.

In 2016, LeBron and Irving "returned tenfold", not only making the 73-win Warriors the overall runner-up, but also a magical reversal of 1:3.

In 2017-18, the Warriors with Durant played the Cavaliers 8-1 in two years.

In fact, in the finals in those years, no matter whether the Cavaliers won or lost, whether Durant was or not, the Warriors couldn't get LeBron, and he always had a way to contribute about 30+10+10 performances.

"The Four Famous Hunting Emperor Zhan" is actually just trying to reduce his influence as much as possible.

You have to know how strong that Warriors are to appreciate how strong LeBron and the Cavaliers were at that time.

On January 23, 2018, LeBron, who was 33 years and 24 days old, became the youngest Mr. 30,000 points.

4. James 4.0: 2019-present New Legends

In 2018, LeBron left the Cavaliers to join the Los Angeles Lakers.

Since then, "James" and "Lakers", the two most popular "IPs" in the NBA, have come together perfectly.

Many people think that this is the 34-year-old LeBron planning for his life after retirement, and since then he has stepped down from the throne of the league, but he didn't expect it to be a new evolution.

If LeBron is Thanos, then thick eyebrows are Infinity Gauntlets.

Thanos without the Infinity Gauntlet, although powerful, cannot destroy the universe. Just like the Lakers and LeBron in the 2018-19 season, no one thinks they have what it takes to win a championship.

And when the 2019 offseason James-Mei combination was formed in the Lakers, it was like Thanos wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, which was destined to bring a "catastrophe" to the league.

In the 19-20 season, the two won the 17th championship in team history for the Lakers in the first year of cooperation.

While maintaining his excellent scoring ability, James organized the whole team like a production line designer to deliver a steady stream of cannonballs for him.

And thick eyebrows, as the least possession of the ball and the most efficient partner that James has ever partnered in his career, make the offense of the two extremely powerful.

On the defensive end, the thick eyebrows, who have not yet been plagued by injuries, provide a natural barrier for James, who has entered the 35-year-old mark, to use his mind more when defending, rather than his aging body.

The appearance of thick eyebrows not only brought LeBron a fourth championship, but also indirectly extended the peak length of his career.

Of course, everyone is worried about LeBron's age and body.

From his first factory overhaul after suffering an ankle sprain in the 20-21 season, the Lakers and himself were looking for a more intensive and efficient way to help him reduce the wear and tear of the long regular season and prepare for the playoffs that were truly valuable.

At the beginning, their idea was to find the third big man, but the failure of the Wei Shao trade not only made the Lakers completely lose all the outside rotation when they won the 20 championship, but also made the two Zhan Mei fall deeper and deeper into the burden of constantly filling the hole.

The loss in the 2021-22 season cannot be entirely blamed on Wei Shao, who has always insisted on himself, and this is the overall misjudgment of the Lakers' decision-making team (including Zhan Mei).

And the big deal at the beginning of this year completed a strong correction, and the Lakers understood that instead of sacrificing the thickness of the team to find the so-called "Big Three", it was better to consolidate the lineup and equip Zhan Mei with enough young fast legs and strong muscles.

So Russell, Hachimura, Vanderbilt came, Reeves grew, and Wood, Vincent, Reddish came.

None of them are successful people, but they are all young and strong, and they are sincerely united.

In the game, they ran one more step, jumped one more time, and bumped one more time, which may mean that Zhan Mei, the old one, can toss less.

LeBron not only made it back to the playoffs, but also eliminated his old rival Stephen Curry, and although the Nuggets were swept 0-4 in the West finals, the 30 points in the fourth desperate half once again showed that the 38-year-old is still powerful.

At 39 this season, he is still the top presence in the league.

He averaged 26.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, the fewest career shots (16.9), the highest shooting percentage (58.6%), and the second-highest three-point shooting percentage (39.7% second only to the 12-13 season in his heyday).

Today's 39,000th point was also a three-pointer.

The muscular monster that was once thought to be unable to shoot has now become an old and sitting-on cannon.

He is widely regarded as one of the brightest players in NBA history,

He understands all too well the importance of shooting in the modern NBA version of the game.

As the old Chinese saying goes:

"Seventy and do what you want."

LeBron has reached this point now, and he knows how to stay competitive in the NBA. And its own strong strength is enough to allow him to run according to a comfortable style of play in most games.

The wheels of history are rolling forward, and today's LeBron has become history in itself.