5 NBA milestones we missed due to COVID-19

The NBA suspended its operations on March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. League officials hoped play would resume after 30 days, but more than a month has passed since that fateful night and we’re no closer to knowing when – or if – the 2019-20 season will return.

If the season is truly done, as many suspect, fans will have been robbed of witnessing these five major milestones.

Vince Carter: 26,000 points

Vince Carter made history earlier this year when he became the first NBA player to play in 22 seasons. Not much was expected from the 43-year-old forward as he embarked on his retirement tour, but VC showed he still had plenty in the tank by scoring 14 points or more five times.

The former Slam Dunk champ was averaging 5.0 points per game when the season came to an end, and was just 272 points shy of 26,000. Carter would have needed to turn on the jets to surpass that mark, but nothing is impossible for the man who once vaulted over Frederic Weis.

8,000 rebounds: Kevin Love

The 2019-20 season is probably one the Cavaliers would like to forget. Cleveland suffered four losing streaks of six games or more and found itself dead last in the Eastern Conference when play was suspended.

The NBA’s forced hiatus may seem like a small mercy to many Cavs fans, but it’s a crushing disappointment to Kevin Love, who had finally rediscovered his mojo after years of injury setbacks. The five-time All-Star was averaging 17.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, and was just 56 caroms short of hauling down his 8,000th career rebound. The good news for Love is that his teammates should give him plenty of opportunities to surpass that total next season by grabbing their many, many misses.

4,000 assists: Damian Lillard

Dame isn’t known for his dimes, but the five-time All-Star was close to joining an elite club this season with his 4,000th career assist. The longtime Blazer is just 68 assists shy of the mark and was on pace to eclipse the milestone on March 27 against the Boston Celtics.

2,500 three-pointers: Steph Curry

With all due apologies to Gobert, few players have had a more topsy-turvy season that Steph Curry, who spent three months on the sidelines after breaking his hand against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 30. The injury caused the Golden State Warriors to plummet in the standings and slowed down Curry’s assault on the NBA record books.

The two-time MVP is just five three-pointers short of 2,500, and 66 treys away from surpassing Reggie Miller to become the NBA’s second most prolific three-point shooter. Curry’s time will certainly come, but it will likely be in 2020-21.

Four NBA Championships: LeBron James

It’s impossible to know precisely how the 2019-20 season would have played out, but we do know the Lakers were steamrolling the competition when it came to an abrupt stop. L.A. had the best record in the Western Conference and had reeled off victories in 11 of its previous 13 games, including a 113-103 statement win over the Milwaukee Bucks on March 6.

If the Lakers won the championship, as many fans and oddsmakers anticipated, it would have resulted in the fourth title for LeBron James. That’s an important milestone for a player who is running out of time to leapfrog Michael Jordan and cement his place as the league’s undisputed GOAT.

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