Author of at least 36 points in Tuesday night’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, LeBron James passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for first place pick in NBA history.
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Abdul-Jabbar held the record with 38,387 points, a high he had reached in his twenty years in the league, split between the Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks.
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Kareem Abdul Jabbar and LeBron James
LeBron James is also currently in his 20th season in professional basketball. At the start of Tuesday’s game, the famous Akron native had 38,352, so his tally of 38 on Tuesday now puts him ahead of Abdul-Jabbar with 38,390. The former Lakers record number 33 was 39 years old.
astute
James entered the match with a knife between his teeth. Aggressive and determined, he collected 20 points in the first half. For the occasion, James wore a headband, a style that has long categorized him.
Then, after halftime, he scored 8 points, including two 3-point shots, in the first six minutes of the game to get the crowd going. LeBron didn’t even need the fourth quarter to reach the desired plateau. With ten seconds remaining in the third quarter, James slipped out of his blanket and threaded the needle.
The action was stopped immediately and a ceremony was held in his honor.
Several celebrities gathered at the Crypto.com Arena for the occasion. Among the stars are Jay-Z, Denzel Washington and John McEnroe to name a few.
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Jay Z and LeBron James
Former Magic Johnson player Dwyane Wade and main prospect Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were also in attendance to witness the feat. James’ family was of course present.
LeBron James finished the game with 38 points and the Los Angeles Lakers lost 133-130 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In a post-game interview, LeBron admitted to Shaquille O’Neal “that he was still at his best mentally and physically and he still has a few years of basketball left in him.” James never hid that he would love to play in the NBA with his boys. His oldest, Bronny, is 18 and Bryce is 15. Both are excellent prospects for future NBA amateur auctions.
Finally, O’Neal also asked King James if he now considered himself the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) with this achievement. His answer?
“I’ll let everyone decide in their own way. Everyone has their favorite in history, but I personally vote over every player who has ever played basketball.
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In numbers
King James has played in Los Angeles for the last five seasons. LBJ entered the NBA drafted No. 1 in 2003 and played eleven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2003–04 to 2009–10 and 2014–15 to 2017–18), separated by four seasons in Miami.
LeBron James is:
- Rookie of the Year 2003-04
- 4-time NBA champion (2012, 2013 – Miami Heat, 2016 – Cleveland Cavaliers, 2020 – Los Angeles Lakers)
- 19-time NBA All-Star
- 4-time NBA regular-season MVP
- Four-time NBA Playoff Finals Series MVP