LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar just before midnight EST on Tuesday night to become the National Basketball Association’s all-time leading scorer.
After breaking the record in the third quarter of the Los Angeles Laker’s 130-133 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the game stopped and James got to speak to the crowd. “F*** man, thank you guys,” candidly said James amid a chorus of cheers before passing the microphone.
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With a fading jump shot, James overtook Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points scored in the regular season, setting a major milestone for the self-proclaimed “King” in a career filled with them. Abdul-Jabbar, once a Laker just like James, held the scoring record since April 5, 1984.
James is also the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in the postseason with 7,631 points scored, more than 5,987 for Michael Jordan and 5,762 for Abdul-Jabbar, in second and third place, respectively. The Akron, Ohio native has long prided himself on his playmaking ability, saying scoring comes second to him.
As NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced James’s career-defining feat, Abdul-Jabbar handed the ball to James in a passing of the torch moment for the two Laker legends. As Silver himself said, for nearly 40 years, many people thought the record would never be broken.
Hovering over James’s record is the fact that the Lakers have been one of the worst teams in the league this year and look primed to miss the playoffs for the second year in a row. James has been vocal about how important winning is to him and has publicly lobbied the Lakers’s front office to make trades to improve the team now, even if that means sacrificing the promise for the future.
Nevertheless, when James’s career is remembered years from now, it will likely be defined as a landmark in longevity. Players have played in the league until 38 (James’s age) before. Some have even still played at a high level. But none have still been all-stars, among the league’s best this late into their careers and with this many miles on their legs.
Superstars in their industries and fans of the game congratulated James on his accomplishment, including current NBA greats Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, entertainment icons Rihanna and Drake, and even rival teams such as Curry’s Golden State Warriors. The milestone offered a moment, however brief, for everyone to come together to appreciate what James has brought to the game of basketball.
And while the Lakers’s struggles certainly cast some type of shadow over James’s historic feat, they do not tell the full story. James is averaging 30 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game this season, per Basketball Reference. Much like Tom Brady several years ago, as many people expect him to slow down, James just keeps on excelling.
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So what is the end goal for James now that the most illustrious record in the sport is his? He has four championships, four MVPs, and more money than he could spend and give away in ten lifetimes.
James has spoken of his desire to play in the NBA with his son, Bronny, who is 18 and in his senior year of high school. Slated to be drafted after one year of doing what he chooses (college, development league, playing overseas), LeBron and Bronny James would get that opportunity.
So while arguments over who is the greatest player of all time will continue perpetually, and criticism for James will continue as long as he is in the public light, Tuesday night into Wednesday morning offered fans a chance to sit back and reflect on two decades of greatness. My, where the time has gone.
