LeBron James became the top scorer in professional basketball history on Tuesday.
With a career score of 38,388, James, aka the King, became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Los Angeles Lakers forward set a record in front of the home crowd – which included Laker legend Abdul-Jabbar sitting by the court. James enters Tuesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder needing 36 points to break the record; he did so with a 15-foot back jump with 11 seconds remaining in the third inning.
The game stopped when James’ teammates and family joined him on the floor, and video boards in the Crypto.com Arena played a flashback package highlighting key moments in his NBA career . Abdul-Jabbar also came onto the pitch to hug James and hand him the record-breaking ball as the crowd – humming every time James touched the ball – chanted “MVP! MVP!” James cried as the Lakers PA announcer told the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen, all-time top scorer, you’ve seen it: LeBron James!”
“Thank you Laker fatifhul, you are one of a kind,” James said. “Being able to stand in front of a legend like Kareem is very humbling for me. Please give a warm welcome to the Captain!
He went on to thank his family, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and former commissioner David Stern, and ended by saying, “I wouldn’t be who I am without you guys. … Damn, man, thank you.
Abdul-Jabbar held the scoring record for nearly 39 years, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain in April 1984. He would play another five seasons and finish his career with 38,387 points. James’ record-setting shot came in the 1,410th game of his career, 150 games less than Abdul-Jabbar has played during his Hall of Fame career with the Milwaukee Bucks and Lakers.
Like Abdul-Jabbar, James has played in the NBA for 20 years – but since he entered the league directly from high school, he is 38 years old, four years younger than Abdul-Jabbar when he retired. in 1989. James had said he would want to play for a few more years — and possibly with his son, Bronny. If he plays for one more full season, he will almost certainly become the first NBA player to score 40,000 points in regular games of the season. (James has been the all-time playoff scorer with 7,631 points in the post-season.)
James is also fourth all-time among NBA and ABA players in assists, 10th in steals and 35th in total counterattacks. He’s won NBA titles with all three franchises he’s played in – the Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Miami Heat.
Between the third and fourth quarters, TNT, the company that aired the game, played tribute recordings of Snoop Dogg, Magic Johnson (who also attended) and Drake.
James’ record-setting night came in defeat, as the Thunder took the lead midway through the second half and never fell behind again. They scored 27 points from the Lakers’ 21 innings and held off a final Laker rally to win 133-130.
