LeBron James made the first basket of his NBA career on a baseline jumper in Sacramento.

More than 23 years later, he used his left hand to flip in a runner in Detroit for a milestone all his own.

James became the first player in NBA history to make 16,000 regular-season field goals Wednesday night, reaching the mark early in the second quarter of the Philadelphia 76ers’ 112-106 win over the Detroit Pistons.

The 41-year-old finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists as Philadelphia improved to 8-1, avenging its only loss of the season.

James had already passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar twice on his way to Wednesday’s milestone. In February 2023, he broke Abdul-Jabbar’s career scoring record against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It took another three years to catch him in field goals.

James finally passed Abdul-Jabbar’s mark of 15,837 in March against the Denver Nuggets while still playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Now in his 24th season, James took only 10 shots against Detroit and made five. He put the same left hand to work as a passer in the second quarter, finding Sixers big man Adem Bona for a basket.

James finished two assists shy of a triple-double on a night when Philadelphia could turn to Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid for most of its scoring.

Brown scored a season-high 30 points, and Embiid added 26 points and 15 rebounds. Together, they accounted for exactly half of Philadelphia’s points.

The Sixers needed that production on a night when Tyrese Maxey shot 5-for-16 and finished with 19 points, his first game below 26 this season.

Detroit cut a 17-point deficit to six and had a chance to make it a one-possession game in the final minute. Cade Cunningham pulled up from beyond the arc, but Brown blocked the shot with 37 seconds left.

That stop sent James home with a win to go with his 16,000th basket.

Next up for Philadelphia is a Friday visit to Cleveland, where James’ NBA career began.