LeBron James had a simple reply to his 19-year scoring streak coming to an end, as the Los Angeles Lakers edged past the Toronto Raptors 123-120.
James still played a key role for the Lakers as they secured their 16th victory of the season, contributing six rebounds and 11 assists.
His most important moment came in the dying seconds, when he declined the opportunity to shoot what would have been a game-winning shot.
Instead, he chose to set up Rui Hachimura, who scored a three-pointer just as the buzzer sounded.
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For James, that unselfish decision brought an end to an astonishing run of 1,297 consecutive regular-season games scoring double figures.
It meant he finished the game with eight points, ending a streak that began on January 6, 2007.
After the match, James was asked for his reaction to the run finally being broken.
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He simply replied: "None, we won."
The 40-year-old reiterated the importance of making the right decision for the team over individual statistics.
“Just playing the game the right way. You always make the right play,” James added.
“That’s just been my M.O. That’s how I was taught the game. I’ve done that my whole career.”
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His streak is significantly longer than anything any other NBA player has achieved, including some of basketball's biggest names.
Michael Jordan's longest run lasted 866 matches, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar managed 787 and Karl Malone reached 575.
James' consistency as a scorer has already cemented him as one of the league's greatest ever players and the NBA's all-time leading points scorer.
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In March 2024, he became the first player in history to reach 40,000 points and that mark now stands at an imperious 42,268.
His continued ability to perform at such a high level at this stage of his career has drawn praise from across the basketball world, including from Lakers head coach JJ Redick.
He added: “LeBron is acutely aware of how many points he has at that point.
“He did it like he’s done so many times.”
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James's unselfishness also earned admiration from his teammates, who backed his decision to prioritise the team's result.
Lakers centre Jake LaRavia said: “He’s such an unselfish player.
“He’s just playing the game of basketball.
"He had the opportunity but because of the player he is and just who he is as a person, he made the unselfish play, passed it to Rui and we won the game.”
Topics: Lebron James, NBA, Basketball, LA Lakers
James Taylor