LeBron James is the first LA Lakers player with 20 points, 10 assists and 5 steals in a game since Kobe Bryant in 2004

LeBron James can’t go more than a week or two without making NBA history, and he made plenty of it in Tuesday’s 106-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns. The win itself was historically significant as it sent the Los Angeles Lakers to Las Vegas for the first ever In-Season Tournament semifinals. They will face the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday, but his individual numbers to get there were the real story of the night.

Image

James finished the game with 31 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds, and 5 steals while leading the Lakers to victory. In multiple ways, that stat line made history. Here is a brief sampling:

James is the first Laker to record 30 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, and five steals in a game since Magic Johnson did so in 1987. James is also the oldest player in NBA history to record a 30-point, 10-assist, five-steal game. James is the first Laker to record 20 points, 10 assists, and five steals in a game since Kobe Bryant did so in 2004.

James has been creating and breaking records for almost two decades now, but part of the beauty of the In-Season Tournament is that it is so new that he has a chance to set original records that other players will one day shatter. He is currently in ninth place in the tournament after five games in terms of total points (131), assists (41), steals (nine), and rebounds (40). It’s possible that he ends up leading or finishing close in a number of those categories if the Lakers make it to the finals.

Image

Whether he does or doesn’t, James just had one of the most memorable individual performance of the In-Season Tournament so far. When we look back on the tournament’s inception years from now, this will certainly be one of the games that gets remembered.

Image