Despite LeBron James’ 39,000-point feat, Lakers head coach Davin Hamm refused him a game ball for hilarious reasons

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to score 39,000 career points on Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz.

Combined with a performance reminiscent of the Lakers’ blowout wins during the “Showtime” era, it should be reason for James to celebrate.

But James won’t be celebrating the milestone by putting the game ball in the trophy case. According to Lakers Nation, Lakers head coach Davin Ham said he refused to give James a game ball:

“We should all be grateful for what we witnessed. But it was only 39,000, not 40, so he didn’t get the game ball tonight.”

The good news for James is that, barring unforeseen circumstances, he is on track to reach 40,000 points later this season.

The Lakers legend wasn’t the only future Hall of Famer to reach a scoring milestone on Tuesday. Suns star Kevin Durant scored in the first quarter against the Trail Blazers to move past Elvin Hayes into 11th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. The next player ahead of Durant on the scoring list was the late Moses Malone, who finished his career with 27,409 points. Durant will likely surpass Malone this season and within the next month or so.

All told, James had 17 points, seven rebounds and nine assists in just 24 minutes as the Lakers defeated the Jazz 131-99.

Of course, there’s a burning question that needs to be asked: If not LeBron James, who would Davon Ham give the game ball to?

Next, the Lakers will challenge the Dallas Mavericks on the road tomorrow night.