KEY POINTS

  • LeBron James is very likely to top the all-time list of NBA players with most turnovers
  • James is just 122 turnovers away from Karl Malon who holds the no. 1 spot 
  • Russell Westbrook joined James in the list of top 10 NBA players with most turnovers in history

LeBron James is closing in on topping a humiliating all-time NBA record.

Since his debut back in 2003, many were already convinced that James will soon be a future all-time great. Throughout his stellar NBA career, James has compiled some amazing statistics season after season. His dominance has remained constant regardless of what team he plays for.

On Nov. 19 last year, the four-time MVP added another glory to his growing list of accomplishments. In yet another stellar performance in the current season, James finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Lakers to victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-107. The impressive triple-double was James’ fifth already that season. And by doing so, he became the first player in NBA history to record a triple-double against all 30 NBA franchises.

Another remarkable “King James” milestone happened a few days before the passing of Lakers icon Kobe Bryant. Despite losing to Philadelphia 76ers last Jan. 26, James scored 29 points to move to 33,655 career points. The tally saw him surpassing Bryant in the all-time scoring list.

However, as James continues to defy the laws of time and dominate the league, Sportscasting recently found a somewhat humiliating record the NBA superstar will likely soon possess. Surprisingly, James is set to pass NBA legend Karl Malone in the list of most turnovers in a career all-time.

NBA.com backed the report as it stated that Malone registered a staggering 4,524 turnovers in his entire career. James, on the other hand, is closing in on the second spot with 4,402. This means James is just 122 turnovers away from becoming the player who made the most mistakes inside the basketball court. What is even more shocking is that James is the only active NBA player in the top five of the said list, making it even more viable for him to take the no. 1 spot in the near future. The next active NBA player who joined James in the top 10 is Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook with 3,562 turnovers thus far.

No fans, no play: LeBron James
LeBron James and other NBA Superstars participated on a private conference call Monday (May 10) GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Harry How

While becoming the player who committed the most turnovers in history sounds truly embarrassing for a superstar like James, this also clears up a few misconceptions about his game.

Looking at the list, James and Malone both had a lengthy NBA career, and on top of that, they were also the main guys of their squads, which mean the pair has held the basketball more than any player in the team. By doing so, they are more prone to turnovers than the rest of the players inside the court. Another factor is that James has also been functioning as a point guard every now and then. Based on statistics, point guards often commit turnovers as they get to dribble a lot, and four -- excluding James -- of the top 10 players on the list were guards.