On Saturday evening, during a 129-101 away victory against the Golden State Warriors (record 31-29), LeBron James successfully hit his initial four attempts from beyond the arc, simultaneously becoming only the second athlete to achieve 1,000 three-pointers while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers (record 35-24).
The 41-year-old sports icon, James, now stands alongside Kobe Bryant as the sole two individuals in the team’s history to reach this milestone.
Below is a list of the top five players who have recorded the most three-point shots for the Lakers throughout their tenure:
1) Kobe Bryant: 1,827
2) LeBron James: 1,002
3) Derek Fisher: 846
4) Nick Van Exel: 750
5) Byron Scott: 595
The four shots from beyond the arc that James landed in the first half against the Warriors on Saturday marked his highest total for any half this current season. He went into halftime having accumulated a game-leading 20 points and concluded the game with 22 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds, contributing to the Lakers’ victory that snapped their three-game losing streak.
As the second half progressed, Luka Dončić began sinking three-pointers with frequency. Dončić, celebrating his 27th birthday on Saturday, drained four shots from downtown early in the third period. He concluded his special day with 26 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds. Austin Reaves also contributed with 18 points.
The Warriors found themselves trailing by a significant margin in the initial quarter. Lacking Kristaps Porziņģis, who remains sidelined with an “illness,” and Stephen Curry, still recovering from a right knee ailment, Golden State struggled to match the performance of a Lakers team that collectively made 19 out of 41 attempts from three-point range.
This marked Curry’s tenth consecutive game absence.
“My condition is improving. This particular injury is peculiar,” he informed Malika Andrews of ESPN during a Saturday interview mid-game. “The recovery process has been somewhat uncertain, but continuous improvement has been observed daily since All-Star week. That’s all I can hope for, and I anticipate returning to play shortly.”
Responding to Andrews’ inquiry regarding his re-evaluation scheduled for Sunday, Curry conceded that his return would “take a bit more time.”
“I haven’t stepped onto the playing surface yet,” he stated. “However, my focus is on maintaining physical condition and fortifying other parts of my body, understanding that at this point, returning means a rapid push towards the playoffs. Therefore, once I am back on the court, there will be an element of pain management involved, but it’s an issue I prefer not to persist, as it carries the risk of aggravation.”
Concerning James, he has maintained good health ever since sitting out the initial 14 games of the season due to sciatica.
He is currently in his eighth season playing for the Lakers, an organization he initially joined in 2018. Nevertheless, his current agreement is scheduled to conclude at the end of the 2025-26 season, which will mark his unprecedented 23rd season in professional basketball.
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Throughout his career, James has successfully completed 2,618 shots from beyond the arc, with 1,251 of those occurring during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
