LeBron James Excited Daughter Zhuri Witnessed His 40,000th Point!
By Melanie VanDerveer on March 3, 2024 at 12:17 PM EST
LeBron James is the king of points!
The LA Lakers star made history on Saturday night when he became the first player to ever hit 40,000 points in NBA history.
LeBron James Made History Saturday Night When He Hit 40,000 Career Points!
Drafted into the NBA as a teen, James, 39, is currently playing his 21st season, and is the oldest player in the league.
The Akron, Ohio native has won four titles with three different teams, four MVP awards and four Finals MVP awards. "King James" as his fans call him, became the league's top scorer about a year ago when he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. And now he has another big win to add to his list!
James entered the Saturday night game against the Denver Nuggets knowing he was only nine points away from this huge milestone. He scored his big 40,000th point during the second quarter and got a standing ovation.
View this post on Instagram
Fans took to the comment section of the NBA's Instagram post to share their thoughts.
"Extremely happy for him. Respect 🐐," one person wrote. Another added, "We will never get the chance in our life time to see anyone surpass Le40k."
LeBron James Was Excited His Daughter Was There To Witness His Big Moment!
After the game, James talked to the media about seeing his daughter Zhuri's excitement over his milestone and how "special" it was for him.
View this post on Instagram
"When I looked up there in the stands and seen her sitting up there and when the 40,000-point mark hit, definitely looked up there at my wife, looked at my daughter, my mom, and my daughter was just clapping and pumping her arms up in the air so that was a super cool moment," he said.
"Blew her a kiss, she blew one back to me. It's super cool for sure. She's the best. Definitely a girl dad and happy she's part of the family. She runs everything. What Z says goes in our household for sure."
LeBron James Wore "Daughter Driven" Nike LeBron 21 When He Scored His 40,000th Point
When James scored his big milestone point, he was wearing the Nike LeBron 21 in the "Algae" colorway. This colorway was released on January 25, 2024 and retails for $200 on Nike.com.
The Nike LeBron 21 comes in eight colorways, including "Algae."
The description of the shoe on the website reads, "Last time around, LeBron flipped the script on his shoe game as only the King can. The encore is even better. The LeBron XXI has a cabling system that works with Zoom Air cushioning and a light, low-to-the-ground design, giving you agile fluidity and explosiveness without excess weight. Created for your ascent, it’s ideal for Bron-like open-floor attacks and rising toward the rim when the game’s pace turns up."
The website also explains that this shoe is "daughter driven" and knowing Zhuri would be in attendance to watch his big moment, perhaps this is part of the reason he chose to wear these particular shoes to score his 40,000th point.
"LeBron is the shield for his daughter, who helped the King grow as a man and softened him as a dad. He feels the need to protect her always, the same way an oyster shelters a pearl to reach its full potential. The colors and graphics of the LeBron XXI nod to this special daddy/daughter relationship," the shoe's description on Nike.com reads.