LeBron James may claim he isn't a scorer, but the Los Angeles Lakers star poked a significant hole in his own case with a historic night in the midst of his celebrated NBA career's 20th season.
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So much was expected of LeBron James since he graced the cover of Sports Illustrated as a teenager. He was expected to lead teams to championships, win MVP awards, and become a global icon. Even with all of the accolades James has received during his two-decade reign in the NBA’s spotlight, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time scorer was a bridge too far.
His four MVPs trail Bill Russell (five), Michael Jordan (five), and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six) for the league’s lone individual honor, and plenty of players from different eras have more championships — with Stephen Curry matching James with four rings with the Golden State Warriors’ latest title in June.
However, he is the sole leader of the scoring list. James cemented his place in history with a stepback fadeaway basket near the end of the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
Abdul-Jabbar dropped-stepped and sky-hooked his way to 38,387 points, overtaking Wilt Chamberlain with a sky hook on the right wing against the Utah Jazz in 1984, then putting the record practically out of reach before retiring in 1989. James has no such move and is unjustly branded as “not a scorer,” yet he has managed to earn the record with devastating consistency, surpassing Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, and Jordan in the top five all-time scorers.
After breaking Kareem Abdul-all-time Jabbar’s scoring record, LeBron James established his reputation as one of the most dominant NBA players in history. With 10.9 seconds remaining in the third quarter, the 38-year-old broke Abdul-record Jabbar’s 38,387 points with a step-back fadeaway jumper from the foul line over the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kenrich Williams.
However, whereas Abdul-Jabbar needed 1,560 games to reach his record, James did so in just over 1,400. Michael Jordan has the highest points per game (30.1) in NBA history. James is sixth on the list with 27.1 points, barely ahead of another active star, Kevin Durant (27.3).
After James’ record-breaking jumper, the game was delayed for an on-court celebration featuring Abdul-Jabbar and NBA commissioner Adam Silver. James then thanked his family and others who had helped him.
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James started the game with 38,352 points and needed 36 more to pass Abdul-Jabbar. He completed the game with 38 points on 13-of-20 shooting (4-of-6 from three), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in a 133-130 defeat to the Lakers.
The Lakers authorized more than 200 media members for the event, which is unusual for a late-round playoff game. James’ family and friends from Akron, Ohio, were present, as were several of his high school teammates. Abdul-Jabbar has held the record since April 5, 1984. James, 38, arrived nine months later. Twitter went absolutely crazy as LeBron James surpassed Kareem’s record to become the all-time highest NBA scorer.
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