LeBron James has built a career on rewriting the record books, but even the most remarkable streaks eventually meet their end. One of the most quietly astonishing runs in NBA history - LeBron’s streak of 1,297 consecutive games scoring at least 10 points - finally came to a close during a Los Angeles Lakers win over the Toronto Raptors.
And in true LeBron fashion, it didn’t end with a whimper - it ended with a selfless play that helped seal the victory.
James finished with just eight points that night, snapping a streak that had lasted nearly two decades. But instead of forcing a shot to keep the streak alive, he made the right basketball play: finding Rui Hachimura in the corner for the game-winning three. That’s been the essence of LeBron’s game from day one - making the right read, not chasing stats.
On his “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash, James opened up about how the streak ended and what it meant to him. He admitted he always knew where he stood in a game - how many points he had, how efficiently he was shooting - but he never played with the streak in mind.
“I’d be lying to say that I don’t know how many points I have at any given moment of the game,” James said. “But I never went into the game during the streak saying, ‘OK, I have to get 10 points.
I have to keep this streak going.’ It would be a disservice to me and the way I play the game.”
That mindset was on full display against Toronto. LeBron struggled from the field, shooting just 4-for-17. He said he could feel it wasn’t his night - even a shot that looked destined to fall somehow rimmed out.
“I had a three on the right wing that would’ve put me up to 11 points… it hit all the rim, hit the backboard, came back around the rim again and then came out,” he recalled. “I was like, ‘OK, it’s one of those nights.’”
Still, with the game on the line, he didn’t force a look. He drew the defense, trusted his teammate, and delivered a pinpoint pass. It’s the kind of play that’s defined his career just as much as the scoring.
The streak had nearly ended the game before, when James finished with exactly 10 points in a blowout loss to the Suns. And there were other close calls along the way - moments where injury or circumstance nearly brought the run to a halt.
James pointed to a game from a few seasons ago - he wasn’t sure if it was 2020, 2021, or 2022 - when he tried to push through an injury against the Atlanta Hawks. He recalled taking a hit to the leg, tightening his shoes, and pushing through the pain just long enough to hit a three from the left wing - a shot that got him to exactly 10 points before he had to leave the game.
“My leg just started getting really, really hot and I could barely run,” James said. “Long story short, I think I was out maybe 4-6 weeks with a high ankle sprain. That was one of the moments where I was like, yeah, very easily could’ve ended that night for sure.”
That’s the thing about a streak like this - it’s not just about scoring consistently. It’s about staying healthy, avoiding ejections, and maintaining a level of excellence night in and night out over the course of years. In LeBron’s case, nearly 20 seasons.
And right now, the next closest active streak isn’t even within 1,000 games. That’s how far ahead James is. We’re talking about a record that may not just be unbreakable - it may not even be touchable for generations.
Even James Harden, one of the league’s most prolific scorers in his own right, doesn’t think anyone’s catching LeBron’s all-time scoring record, let alone this streak. And he’s probably right.
But the beauty of how the streak ended is that it reminded us of what’s always made LeBron special. Not just the scoring - though there’s been plenty of that - but the decision-making, the unselfishness, the trust in teammates.
The guy could’ve forced a shot to keep the streak alive. Instead, he made the pass that won the game.
That’s LeBron. Always has been.