Luka Doncic on passing LeBron James in all-time scoring: ‘I’m not playing that much’

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is having the best season of his NBA career, and a few fans are wondering if the top MVP candidate has it in him to play long enough to pass LeBron James on the all-time scoring list.

“You gotta have a guy that plays for 20 years. If you’re saying me, there’s no way,” Doncic said of catching the future Hall of Famer. “Because I’m not playing that much. You’ve got to hold up your body. It’s a large commitment to the game.”

According to a few NBA betting sites, Luka Doncic is the No. 1 favorite to win MVP this season. Though, a number of sportsbooks are still showing decent odds for Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Luka Doncic, on odds of anyone catching LeBron James' career scoring total: "Odds? You should ask Vegas that."

Is it possible?: "It’s always a possibility, but it's going to be really tough."

Maybe him?: "If you’re saying me, there’s no way because I’m not playing that much." pic.twitter.com/GUPFi1pKX2

— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) January 5, 2023

“You’ve got to play every year — not every game, but a lot of games at the top level, which is really hard,” Luka Doncic added. “There’s a lot of really, really amazing things that he did.”

Furthermore, the Mavericks guard became the sixth-youngest player to reach 8,000 points. Through 38 starts this season, Doncic is averaging career highs of 34.2 points and 1.6 steals per game. Along with logging 8.9 rebounds and 8.7 assists, he’s also shooting career bests of 50.1% from the floor and 35.4% outside the arc.

Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is not counting on passing LeBron James on the NBA all-time scoring list

James never averaged 34 points in a season of his 20-year career. However, Doncic has missed 51 games through his first 4 1/2 seasons. In a total of 302 starts, the guard has recorded 8,263 points. In James’ first five seasons, he scored a total of 10,689 points.

On Dec. 27, in the Mavericks’ 126-121 win over the New York Knicks, Luka Doncic recorded career highs of 60 points and 21 rebounds in 48 minutes of action. He became the first player in NBA history to log a 60/21/10 stat line in a single game.

Tonight, Luka Dončić and LeBron James will play each other for the 10th time in their careers.

Prior to signing with Jordan, LBJ wanted Dončić to be the face of Team LeBron, a brand James wanted to launch under Nike.

In LD’s rookie yr, he wore a pair of LeBron 12 Low in – game. pic.twitter.com/sFUWqOu8H0

— Luka Donkicks (@LukaDonkicks) January 12, 2023

Unfortunately for Dallas fans, even if the Slovenian logged several more 40 and 50-point games in the coming seasons, Doncic has made it clear that he will likely not be playing as long as the four-time MVP. Before thinking about cracking the top 5, everyone has to wait until he reaches the top 100 first.

Moreover, James needs 423 points to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) to own the NBA’s all-time scoring record. The four-time NBA champ has scored 37,965 points over the course of 20 seasons and 1,397 games. Bron is projected to break the scoring record prior to All-Star Weekend.