Image Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

“That’s insane” – Klay Thompson name-drops LeBron James after reaching 16,000 NBA points

Klay Thompson reached the 16k milestone in 826 games.

Image Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

It was a bittersweet night for Klay Thompson who reached an incredible milestone in team’s 101-112 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. The veteran guard scored his 16,000th career point, becoming the 17th-highest active scorer in the NBA.

Thompson led the Mavericks in the absence of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, scoring 25 points, and adding six rebounds. Dallas went into the final quarter with a 10-point lead but couldn’t close the game in the fourth, allowing the Nuggets to steal the game.

After the game, Thompson was asked about the feeling of reaching the 16k milestone in a loss. The 34-year-old reflected on his incredible achievement but couldn’t help to mention the magnitude of LeBron James’ scoring career.

“It’s cool, but it makes you realize how ridiculous it is that LeBron has 40,000. It’s insane,” Thompson said. “But it’s cool. Anytime you do something like that in the NBA, it’s a special moment”, the veteran guard further added.

Klay reached 16K career PTS on Sunday…

But all he could think about was wondering how LeBron got to 40K 🤣 pic.twitter.com/ZUulcEgsRu
— NBA (@NBA) January 13, 2025

No active player is close to reaching LeBron James’ 40k feat

LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, currently sits at 41,261 career points. The next-closest player, Kevin Durant, has 29,683 points.

After being drafted in 2011 by Golden State Warriors, Thompson flourished along side Steph Curry leading the franchise to 4 championships. He achieved the 16k milestone in 826 games.

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The five-time NBA All-Star parted ways with the Warriors this off season to join Mavericks. He is averaging 13.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists this season.

The Mavs are now at 22-17 after Sunday’s loss. They will now travel to Denver to face Nikola Jokic and Co. on Tuesday, January 14.

Dallas Mavericks

Klay Thompson

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I work as a content strategist, specializing in creating engaging content about the NBA, WNBA, and MLB. My main focus is on writing breaking news updates, research-based articles, and covering trending topics. Right now, I’m leading the content team for the NBA, WNBA, and MLB categories at Playoffs English.