The first place in total score history. Why did Lao Zhan, who created the "411 Project", only win the scoring champion once in 20 years?

When James crossed the 40,000-point mark in the 2023-24 season and became the first superstar in NBA history to achieve "40,000 points + 10,000 rebounds + 10,000 assists", this unprecedented achievement completely established his position as the "first-ranked person in history". So far, his total career score has exceeded 41,000 points, and his all-around data averaged 27 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game. It is a rare "offense, defense and pass" super giant in the history of the league. But whenever people talk about whether James can surpass Jordan to become the number one in NBA history, the outside world generally thinks that James is still almost the same. The reason is that in James' glorious 22 years of career, he only won the scoring champion once in the 2007-08 season, while Jordan has 10 scoring champions. On one hand, there are the total scores that shook the past and the present, and on the other hand, there are only a handful of scoring titles. Behind this seemingly contradictory phenomenon, James' unique playing philosophy is hidden.

To understand the reason why James is "less scoring king", we must first break a cognitive misunderstanding: the ownership of the scoring king depends on "the highest average score per game in a single season", and the accumulation of total score depends on "lasting health, stable output and long career span". James' scoring ability has never been a "flash-breaking explosion", but a "long-term stability" - he has averaged more than 25 points per game in 19 seasons in his career and 27+ points per game in 13 seasons. This efficient output that lasts for 20 years is the key to his ability to surpass Kareem and break through 40,000 points.

But James is never a "scorer" in the traditional sense. Since entering the league, his positioning is "team commander", who will not only end the game with breakthroughs or mid-range shots at critical moments, but also be good at connecting teammates with passes and revitalizing the entire team's offense. This "all-round priority" style of play always makes his shots lower than scorers of the same level: he averaged 19.9 shots per game in his career, far lower than "scoring king regulars" such as Durant (20.8 times), Kobe (22.1 times). Even in the 2007-08 season, he averaged 21.9 shots per game, and he ranked 6th in the league, lower than Kobe (26.2 times) and Iverson (23.8 times).

More importantly, for most of James' career, he was surrounded by top second-in-commands. These players need enough ball rights and shooting rights to play their roles - from Mo Williams in the Cavaliers 1.0, to Wade and Bosh in the Heat, to Irving and Love in the Cavaliers 2.0, as well as Davis in the Lakers and Doncic today. In order to balance the team, James often takes the initiative to sacrifice his shots: for example, in the early stages of the Heat Big Three in the 2010-11 season, his average shots dropped from 23.1 to 18.8, and his scores dropped from 29.7 to 26.7 points; when he partnered with Davis in the 2019-20 season, his shots dropped further to 17.7, but he used more assists (10.2 times) to help the Lakers win the championship. This choice of "team is greater than individual" directly affects his possibility of hitting the scoring champion.

Four misses: Those "nearly" seasons hide different regrets. James is not without his strength to hit the scoring king. He has been infinitely close to this honor four times in his career, but he was missed by his team's needs or injuries. Each time reflects the different situations in his career.

1. 2008-09 season: Lose to "Peak Wade", win MVP and the league's first place

in 2007-08 season, James continued his hot state in 2008-09 season: averaging 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.7 steals, leading the Cavaliers from 45 wins last season to 66 wins and 16 losses, becoming the team with the highest record in the league. With this excellent performance of "personal data + team record", he won his first regular season MVP in his career without any suspense, but the scoring champion was taken away by his good brother Wade.

Wade was at the peak of his career that season. After O'Neal left the team, he carried the Heat's offensive banner alone, averaging 30.2 points, 5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Not only did he score 1.8 points higher than James, but he also ranked first in the league in total score of 2,386 points in a single season. Wade's explosive performance made James' 28.4 points look "slightly inferior", but from the team level, James' choice is more valuable - he used less scores to exchange for a qualitative leap in the team's record, and this "trace-off" has also become the norm in his career.

2. 2009-10 season: Durant rose, he won the record but lost the scoring list

In the 2009-10 season, James' performance became more and more comprehensive: he averaged 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The Cavaliers once again ranked first in the league with 62 wins and 20 losses. He also became the first player in NBA history to win the MVP again. But in the scoring list, he encountered the rising "scoring machine" Durant - Durant, a third-year, averaged 30.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, leading the Thunder to 50 wins and 32 losses, successfully entering the playoffs. This is also Durant's first scoring champion in his career.

The gap this time is only 0.4 points, and James lost to the extreme. At that time, Durant had shown the qualities of a top scorer: undifferentiated mid-range shots, accurate three-pointers, and efficient endings. The Thunder built a tactical system of "scoring first" around him. He averaged 20.1 shots per game and 1.2 more than James. James is still taking care of the team, setting a career high with 8.6 assists. This "all-round" contrasts with Durant's "focused scoring" and ultimately makes the scoring champion fall behind..

3. 2010-11 season: The three giants shared the ball rights and lost to Durant again in the summer of 2010. James joined the Heat and formed the "big three" with Wade and Bosh, which also means that he must further sacrifice his ball rights. That season, his average shots dropped to 18.8 times and his score dropped to 26.7 points. Even so, he still performed 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7 assists and 1.6 steals, helping the Heat to score 58 wins and 24 losses. But the scoring champion is still Durant. Although Durant's scoring declined to 27.7 points last season due to the rise of Westbrook and Harden, he is still 1 point higher than James and successfully ranked first in the scoring champion again.

This missed is essentially the impact of "team structure". The Big Three need to balance the right to attack: Wade averaged 18.3 shots per game, Bosh made 14.2 shots, and James must give up some of the offensive power to maintain team harmony. Although the Thunder had "three young men" at that time, the tactical core was clearly centered around Durant, and his 19.7 shots were still higher than James. This conflict between "team needs" and "personal honor" has once again missed the scoring champion.

4. 2021-22 season: The 38-year-old James lost to injury and record

the most regrettable time was the 2021-22 season. At that time, James, 38, took on the offensive banner alone when the Lakers suffered a wave of injuries and Westbrook failed to integrate: he averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.3 steals per game. This was his first time since the 2009-10 season, and it was also the highest average score of a 38-year-old player in NBA history. But in the end, he lost to 76ers center Embiid by 0.3 points (average of 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists).

This time the missed hides the helplessness of the veteran. On the one hand, the Lakers have been confirmed to miss the playoffs in the middle of the season. In order to avoid injury affecting their subsequent career, James chose to make a quit at the end of the season and gave up the opportunity to hit the scoring leader; on the other hand, Embiid was at the peak at that time, and the 76ers built a "core inside" tactic around him. He averaged 21.8 shots per game, 2.1 more than James, and his attendance rate was higher. Even so, being able to approach the scoring champion at the age of 38 is enough to prove that James' scoring ability has never declined.

Looking at James's career, behind the "One-One Scoring King" is not the lack of scoring ability, but the fact that he chose a more difficult path - being the "cornerstone of the team" rather than a "simple scorer". He can sacrifice his shots for Wade, Irving, and Davis, or he can carry the banner of offense when the team needs it; he can accumulate 40,000 points with 20 years of stable output, or he can still give out 30+ performances at the age of 38.

Scoring champion is a recognition of his ability to score in a single season, and the first in total scoring history, 19 All-Stars, 4 Championships, and 4 MVPs, is a comprehensive recognition of his career "stayability, versatility, and leadership". For James, compared to the label of "multiple-scoring king", "let the team win", "extend the career span" and "set historical records" are more important pursuits.

James, now 40 years old, is still continuing to write the legend - averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game last season, and is still the top all-round player in the league. Perhaps he will not hit the scoring champion again in the future, but this will not affect his historical status at all. After all, being able to remain efficient for 22 years, being able to stand at the top of the field at the age of 40, and being able to get the first overall score in history by relying on the "non-scorer" style of playing, such a James has long surpassed the definition of the single honor of "scoring king".