LeBron breaks Jordan's record for 30-point games

LOS ANGELES -- LeBron James broke Michael Jordan's NBA record for 30-point games during the Los Angeles Lakers' victory over Atlanta on Friday night.

With an 18-foot jumper with 5:58 to play for the last of his 30 points, James reached at least 30 points in the regular season for the 563rd time in his career, breaking the record established by Jordan in 2003. Jordan set the record in 1,072 games over 15 seasons, while James broke the mark in his 1,523rd appearance over 22 seasons.

James idolized Jordan during his childhood in Akron, Ohio, and when he passed Jordan for fourth place on the NBA's career scoring list back in March 2019, the moment moved him to tears on the Lakers' bench. He called Jordan "an inspiration" and "the lightning in a bottle for me, because I wanted to be like him."

Coincidentally, James also passed Dirk Nowitzki (1,522) for the fourth-most games played in the regular season in NBA history during the Lakers' 119-102 victory over the Hawks.

James turned 40 last week, and he is among the few remaining active players who personally witnessed Jordan in his 1990s prime with the Chicago Bulls.

But James shows absolutely no signs of slowing in his record-tying 22nd season: He scored 38 points against Portland one night earlier to tie Jordan's 30-point mark.

James hit seven 3-pointers against the Blazers while putting up the third-most points ever scored by a player over 40 -- trailing only two games played by Jordan shortly after he turned 40 with Washington.

James became the NBA's career scoring leader last season, and he holds several additional longevity records. He has scored at least 10 points in 1,253 consecutive games over the past 18 years, obliterating the record set by Jordan from 1986 to 2001 (866).