CLEVELAND — Cavaliers star LeBron James has moved into 20th place on the NBA’s career scoring list, passing Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing.
James scored on a hook shot in the lane with 7:22 left in the first quarter Thursday night against Miami, giving him 24,816 points. The 30-year-old has passed several prominent players this season, including Robert Parrish, Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson and former teammate Ray Allen.
Next on the list is Jerry West with 25,192 points.
James, who came in averaging an Eastern Conference-best 25.7 points per game, is in his 12th season as a pro. He has averaged at least 25 points in his last 10 seasons.
James became the youngest to score 24,000 points on Jan. 16. He entered Thursday’s game having scored at least 10 points in 636 straight games.
NBA’s top all-time scorers
Cavaliers forward LeBron James passed Patrick Ewing into No. 20 all-time in career points scored in the NBA. Here’s a look at the leaders:
| Player | Years | Points | Avg. |
| 1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 1969-89 | 38,387 | 24.6 |
| 2. Karl Malone | 1985-2004 | 36,928 | 25.0 |
| 3. Kobe Bryant* | 1996-present | 32,482 | 25.4 |
| 4. Michael Jordan | 1984-2003 | 32,292 | 30.1 |
| 5. Wilt Chamberlain | 1959-73 | 31,419 | 30.1 |
| 6. Shaquille O’Neal | 1992-2011 | 28,596 | 23.7 |
| 7. Dirk Nowitzki* | 1998-present | 28,025 | 22.2 |
| 8. Moses Malone | 1976-95 | 27,409 | 20.6 |
| 9. Elvin Hayes | 1968-84 | 27,313 | 21.0 |
| 10. Hakeem Olajuwon | 1984-2002 | 26,946 | 21.8 |
| 11. Oscar Robertson | 1960-74 | 26,710 | 25.7 |
| 12. Dominique Wilkins | 1982-99 | 26,668 | 24.8 |
| 13. John Havlicek | 1962-78 | 26,395 | 20.8 |
| 14. Kevin Garnett* | 1995-present | 25,949 | 18.2 |
| 15. Paul Pierce* | 1998-present | 25,872 | 20.8 |
| 16. Tim Duncan* | 1997-present | 25,867 | 19.5 |
| 17. Alex English | 1976-91 | 25,613 | 21.5 |
| 18. Reggie Miller | 1987-2005 | 25,279 | 18.2 |
| 19. Jerry West | 1960-74 | 25,192 | 27.0 |
| 20. LeBron James* | 2003-present | 24,837 | 27.4 |
| 21. Patrick Ewing | 1985-2002 | 24,815 | 21.0 |
| * denotes active player | |||
