1 Record LeBron James could break to cement himself as the greatest of all time

There's one record that LeBron James could look to break to cement his legacy as the greatest of all time.

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers reached a milestone that no other NBA player has done on Saturday, March 2. He reached the 40,000-point plateau in the second quarter of the Lakers' loss to the Denver Nuggets, 124-114.

Looking at his list of achievements, there is no question that the 4-time NBA champion has set himself apart from the rest of the greats. Among those noteworthy achievements include being the only player in league history to accomplish the following:

1. Only player in NBA history to register at least 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists.
2. The only NBA player to post at least 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists, and 100 steals in four consecutive seasons.
3. The only NBA player to average at least 25 points per game for 18 consecutive seasons.

The list goes on and on for “The King.” Although he is already 39 years old and can opt to walk away from the game if he wants to, that doesn’t appear to be in sight.

Should LeBron go after Wilt’s single-game scoring mark?

So while his passion for playing basketball remains, more records are expected to be set by the 20-time All-Star. And while he is at it, he may want to aim at one scoring mark that has yet to be broken – Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game.

“The Stilt” set that single-game scoring mark on March 2, 1962, when he was still playing for the Philadelphia Warriors.

Looking at The Big Dipper’s performance in that 169-147 win over the New York Knicks, Chamberlain made 36 of 63 field goal attempts and converted 28 of 32 free throws. Aside from scoring, the Whipper hauled down a game-high 25 rebounds in 48 minutes of action.

That feat made it one of the greatest records in sports history. In that season, Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points per game.

LeBron can break Chamberlain’s scoring mark but with conditions

At the rate he is scoring, there is no question that James can easily go after that mark if wants to. However, one thing that the four-time NBA MVP will have to avoid is taking the three-point shot.

Being a center, Chamberlain achieved that scoring mark as a center. Also, the three-point shot was not available at that time since it was only instituted by the league in 1979.

The late Chris Ford, then playing for the Boston Celtics, scored the first three-point field goal with 3:48 remaining in the first quarter on October 12, 1979.

Part of James’ game is the three-point shot. In his career, he owns a 34.7% shooting clip from beyond the arc. In all, he has taken 6,857 attempts and has converted 2,381 of them.

So far, the highest single-game output that James has had is 61 points, a feat he achieved on March 3, 2014, when he was still with the Miami Heat. In that game, the four-time NBA champion made 22 of his 33 field goal attempts for a 66.7% shooting clip.

He also made 8 of 10 three-point shots for an 80% clip in that 124-107 win over the Bobcats. James also hauled down seven rebounds and five assists.

Aside from that, James has shown he could dominate and take over the scoring efforts of any team he is on. Could that make sense for him while he is with the purple and gold?

A challenge LeBron should take

Given his long list of achievements, there is no question that James has done it all. Most feel he has nothing left to prove. However, breaking Chamberlain’s single-game scoring mark and laying claim to that honor would sweeten his legacy.

It may or may not be a goal for the Chosen One who has proven that he deserves to be among the best. But playing in a game where you need to use the traditional two-point baskets and earn points from the charity stripe could be intriguing for the future Hall of Famer.