Giannis Antetokounmpo reached another benchmark in his NBA career on Saturday, surpassing the 21,000-point barrier with the 29 he scored for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Brooklyn Nets.

The “Greek Freak,” who entered the league in 2013, became the sixth youngest player to hit the mark, following LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain and Kevin Durant. Not bad company to keep.

A milestone, but no time to celebrate

Rather than sit back and admire his achievement, the soon-to-be 31-year-old is not exactly satisfied and told reporters it is only a matter of time before he catches LeBron’s all-time NBA scoring record.

“I think getting to the top of the scoring list is not six, seven or eight years away,” Giannis said, possibly with his tongue in his cheek. “I think it’s, in my opinion, I think it’s four years away, four or five years away, four and a half years away. I think when I’m going to be 35 years old and sitting in this chair, want to have a discussion of I am in the top list of all-time in scoring.”

How realistic is Giannis’s target?

Digging into the numbers, calling Antetokounmpo’s claim “ambitious” would be putting it mildly, if he was indeed being serious.

LeBron, who turns 41 on Dec. 30, has recorded 42,250 points so far and is nowhere near finished, with most of the 2025 season left to play. Whether he continues for an additional year remains to be seen.

The math does not help Giannis

At the moment, Giannis sits 21,248 points behind LeBron, which means he has covered less than half the distance. To pass James’ current total in five seasons, the Bucks star would need to boost his scoring average to 50 points per game while playing in every contest.

Antetokounmpo, for all his brilliance, has never averaged more than 31.1 points in a season, and he has been at 30.4 in each of the last two. Unless he pushes the limits of longevity further than anyone has imagined, LeBron’s record appears safe.

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