Nearly 18 years and 1,297 games later, LeBron James' historic scoring streak ends after scoring just eight points against the Toronto Raptors. The Los Angeles Lakers legend had scored in double figures in every regular-season game since Jan. 5, 2007.
It was a cold January night in Milwaukee — and yes, I know that's redundant — back in 2007 when the Milwaukee Bucks were hosting the upstart Cleveland Cavaliers in the old Bradley Center. The Cavaliers would win 95-86, but the great LeBron James, who was in his fourth year with the Cavs, scored just eight points on 3-of-13 shooting.
It was the last time he had fail to score in double digits — until Thursday night. Nearly 18 years later, James only scored eight points against the Toronto Raptors at ScotiaBank Arena in Toronto. He was just 4-for-17 shooting.
James' reaction to the streak of 1,297 games of double-digit scoring — by far an NBA record — ending for the 40-year-old legend?
He didn't care one bit. Not at all.
"None. We won,'' James said when asked if he had any feelings on the streak ending. "I'm just playing the game the right way. You always make the right play. That's just been my MO. That's how I was taught the game. I've done that my whole career.''
The play was the final one of the game. With the scored tied, James had the ball at the top or the key. He could have driven to the hoop and try to keep the streak alive, but instead kicked out a perfect pass to Rui Hachimura in the left corner. He knocked down a three-pointer at the buzzer and the Lakers won 123-120. Reeves led the way with 44 points. Star Luka Doncic missed the game for the birth of his second child.
"There's not even once that I'm second-guessing that,'' James told reporters. "Once they doubled (Austin Reeves) and the ball got swung to me, I know it was a numbers game, we've got a 4-on-3 advantage. I was just trying to put the ball on time, on target and Rui knocked it down.
“This is the best way. If it had to end, the perfect ending for the streak is tonight,” James told The Athletic. “It’s literally who I am. That’s who I am. It’s always been about: ‘How can I win the game? How can I make the right play and win the game?’ That streak just happened.”
James said he's never really thought much about the streak, that it just sort of randomly started and just continued to grow over the years.
“Being an all-time leading scorer was never a goal. Never,” James said. “I never had a goal of that. I wanted to lead the league in assists, multiple All-Stars and winning MVP and things like that. Starting a streak since ’07, no one says that. Beginning (in) 2007, I wasn’t like, ‘I’m about to start this double-digit streak.’ I just go out and play, and the game has given back to me, and it happened.
“And if it had to end, that’s the perfect way for me: making the right play.”
How far back was Jan. 5, 2007? A long, long time ago. Here's a few NBA facts to know, courtesy of The Athletic.
- James had just turned 22 years a week earlier, on Dec. 30. He'll be 41 in a few weeks.
- Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry was in his freshman year at Davidson.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had retired from the NBA in 1989, was still the league's leading scorer with 38,387 points.
- Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was also held to eight points on Jan. 5, 2007.
- Cooper Flagg, the 2025 first overall pick of the Dallas Mavericks, was just 17 days old.
Some amazing world facts, too.
- George W. Bush was the president.
- Peyton Manning still hadn't won a Super Bowl. That would change four weeks later when his Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears in the rain in Miami.
- Apple announced the first iPhone was coming out four days later.
- Google Maps Street View was five months away from debuting.
- Bitcoin was two years away from being invented.
- “Irreplaceable” by Beyoncé was the top song on the charts.
- Nick Saban had just resigned from the Miami Dolphins to take the Alabama job.
- Bill Cowher resigned as the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers that same week.
- Hank Aaron was still the baseball home run leader. Barry Bonds would pass him later that summer.
Longest NBA double-digit scoring streaks
1. LeBron James — 1,297 games
2. Michael Jordan — 866 games
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — 787 games
4. Karl Malone — 575 games
5. Kevin Durant — 562 games *
* Durant is not the active leader in double-digit scoring games with 267.