Lakers LeBron James: Passing Wilt Chamberlain in Scoring 'Does Something for Me'

In addition to recording a triple-double in Thursday's 114-93 win over the Denver Nuggets, LeBron James will remember the game for passing a legend in the NBA record books.

The Los Angeles Lakers star moved ahead of Wilt Chamberlain into third place on the most career field goals list with his layup in the first quarter.

"The association with a legend like Wilt Chamberlain, that does something for me," James told reporters after the game (starts at :27 mark). "I'm someone who grew up reading about the game, studying the game. Wilt obviously was a big staple of that. It's very humbling."

James now has 12,691 field goals made, 10 more than Chamberlain had during his iconic 15-year career. The four-time NBA MVP has been one of the most consistent shooters over the course of his career.

At his current pace, James will likely be able to catch Karl Malone (13,528) on the career field goals list next season. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the all-time record with 15,837 made field goals.

This isn't the first time James has moved past Chamberlain in the record books. He previously surpassed him on the all-time points list in November 2018.

Scoring has never been a problem for James throughout his NBA career. Since 2004-05, he has never had a shooting percentage lower than 47.2 in a single season. The 16-time All-Star has led the league in made field goals five times.

The Lakers needed James to keep them afloat early in the game. They trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half before outscoring the Nuggets 68-35 in the second half to get their third straight win.

James finished Thursday's victory with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.