INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- If LeBron James gets to 40 points tonight, he might just stop there.

The Cavaliers host the Orlando Magic, and James needs just 41 points to become the seventh player in NBA history and the league's youngest to score 30,000 points.

James, 33, is happy the Cavs have home games tonight and then Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder because, barring something unforeseen, he'll join the 30,000-point club at home. But he'd rather it not happen tonight.

"Hopefully I don't do it tonight because my kids got school tomorrow," James said. "Hopefully I'll wait (until) Saturday. They can come to the weekend games. So, that would be pretty cool."

LeBron Jr., 13, and Bryce, 10, are often in the Cavs' locker room after games on the weekends.

James turned 33 on Dec. 30. Kobe Bryant was 34 years and 104 days old when he became the youngest to score his 30,000th point.

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Pro basketball's all-time leading scorer is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points), followed by Karl Malone (36,928), Bryant (33,643), Michael Jordan (32,292), Wilt Chamberlain (31,419), Dirk Nowitzki (30,808) and Julius Erving (30,026, of which 11,662 was in the ABA). Nowitzki still plays for the Mavericks.

"I definitely looked at the list and saw the list and seen of all the guys that have played in this league and the number of guys that have played in this league, it's definitely a select few," James said. "It's a select company. So in that right, it's special in that right. But I can honestly sit here and say that I've never set out to set scoring records or be a part of a scoring club."

James' career scoring average (27.14 points per game, fifth all time), let alone his sheer number of points over 15 seasons reinforces the obvious: James is a scorer. But he's never considered himself to be one, and has reinforced his belief every time he reaches a milestone involving points.

"I'm joining elite company," James said. "When I walk into the 30 (thousand) point club they're going to look at me like, 'What are you doing here?' I ain't supposed to be there."

James was asked what three of his old coaches -- former St. Vincent-St. Mary coaches Keith Dambrot and Dru Joyce, and youth coach Frankie Walker Sr. -- would think about his scoring 30,000 points in the NBA. He said:

"Coach Dambrot will say he knew it. He was one of the first ones to tell me I was going to be an NBA player. He told the media I was going to be an NBA player when I was a freshman in high school. I didn't believe him. He said I was the best basketball player he had ever seen at 14 and I didn't believe him.

"Coach Dru and Frankie would probably say the same. I just hope that I'm making them proud still. They taught me the game. Frank Walker introduced the game of basketball to me, taught me how to make a left-handed layup for the first time. Now that's pretty much all I do in the paint a lot if I'm not dunking or shooting it's left-handed layup so he taught me that.

"Coach Dru taught me what it means to have brotherhood and play for somebody and play with a meaning. Coach D stressed the competitive. Like, if you don't die for the game then why are you playing it?

"All those three coaches basically just set me up the best way they could. Just tried to take advantage of it. Hope I'm making them proud, still today."