Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James' unprecedented streak of scoring at least 10 points came to an end after 1,297 consecutive regular-season games in the NBA.
The streak that started on Jan. 6, 2007, ended in the Lakers’ 123-120 victory over the Toronto Raptors. James finished with just eight points. Marking the first time he has scored less than 10 points since January 2007.
James is a team player through and through, and you will know that once you hear him share his feelings on what the end of the streak meant to him.
"You know, I’m a guy that goes to the bench and I like to look at the stat sheet," James said during his appearance on the Mind the Game podcast. "I like to look at what I’m shooting from the field. I like to be super efficient. I’d be lying if I said that I don’t know how many points I have at any given moment of the game, but I don’t go into a game.
"I never went into a game during the streak saying, ‘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."
After snapping his historic 1,297-game scoring streak, @kingjames explains why it ever really mattered to him.
— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) December 23, 2025
Hear his perspective on an all-new episode. Watch on our YouTube, @PrimeVideo or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Link in bio. Pic.twitter.com/DwCPD6fYev
Before James, Michael Jordan held the longest streak of scoring 10 or more points in 866 games. However, those streaks mean nothing if they end up going against the team. LeBron shared that preserving a record makes no sense, and he is not the kind of player who chases individual records if it doesn't help his team.
LeBron James passed on the opportunity to continue the streak
During the game, James wasn't shooting efficiently, and he takes pride in sharing the ball if it isn't his day. That's why he had 11 assists in the game. One of those assists was a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Rui Hachimura.
James acknowledged that he knew he had less than 10 points and that the streak was coming to an end. Late in the game, with scores tied, James chose to pass the ball to Hachimura, who hit the 3-pointer for the win.
"Yeah, I was clearly aware," James said when talking about why he passed on the opportunity.
"You know, I was so not in the rhythm. The one rhythm I know I will always have is the ability to draw a crowd and put the ball on time and on target. I had a couple of shots in that game where, literally, I had a three on the right wing that would have put me up to 11 points that literally hit all rim, hit the backboard, came back around the rim again, and then came out. I was like, 'Okay, it’s one of those nights. It’s one of those nights.'”
In the end, James did what was best for the team. His shooting from the 3-point range was not great that night and had he continued with the shots, he might have done a disservice to the team. Instead, he chose to pass the ball to someone who was doing better than him and the result proved him correct.
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