LeBron James‘s 1,297-game streak of scoring at least 10 points came to an end in dramatic fashion during the Los Angeles Lakers‘ narrow 123-120 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Instead of taking the final shot to extend his streak, the 40-year-old veteran passed to Rui Hachimura, who sank a buzzer-beating three-pointer to secure the win.
From that moment until Thursday’s game in Toronto, James never failed to reach 10 points in a regular-season game.
On Thursday night, however, James managed just eight points (4-of-17 from the field, 0-of-5 from three), while dishing out 11 assists.
The historic streak, which had lasted more than 18 years, the longest in NBA history, began on January 6, 2007, when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It quickly became the center of conversation, not just for its conclusion, but for a surprising remark from JJ Redick that drew a sharp response from ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin.
When questions about the streak started, Redick chose to downplay its significance.
On Friday, he was asked whether the Lakers were dwelling too much on James‘ drop in scoring.
His response: “In some ways I’m really glad the streak is over so now we can stop talking about it.”
Redick later told reporters, “LeBron is acutely aware of how many points he has. And like he’s done so many times in his career… he makes the right play and his teammate hits the game-winner.”
However, his initial off-hand dismissal drew an immediate reaction from McMenamin, who noted pointedly that during his own playing days, Redick had “scored 10 or fewer points 322 times,” implying that the coach may not be the most qualified to comment on the challenge of sustaining such consistency.
Reporter pushback keeps focus on the streak
McMenamin didn’t mince words on social media, effectively calling Redick‘s remarks a misstep. On X, he noted:
“In fairness to the Q, JJ is qualified to talk about the challenge of it as someone who scored 10 or fewer 322 times.”
What was initially handled as a near-anonymous record finally ended with fanfare, not because of the eight-point outing, but because of the unexpected media tension, spotlighting how rare and impressive James‘ streak was, and how jarring Redick‘s attempt to brush it off seemed.
Despite that, the fact remains: many believe the streak deserved more than cursory dismissal.
Ending nearly 1,300 games of double-digit scoring, the longest such stretch in league history, is a milestone few could approach.
With James still capable of facilitating and leading, and with Redick‘s confidence in the broader roster stronger than ever, the Lakers appear to be embracing a more collective identity.
As long as everyone buys in, Thursday might go down not just as the end of a streak, but the start of a new chapter.
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