LeBron James does everything.
The Los Angeles Lakers star moved within striking distance of the NBA’s all-time scoring title on Tuesday while overtaking two point guard greats on the career assist list.
James started Tuesday and needed 117 points to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. He’s that much closer after a 129-123 win over the New York Knicks in overtime with 28 points. He now has 38,299 points and is 89 behind Abdul-Jabbar.
James secured his first triple-double of the season, adding 10 rebounds and 11 assists. This is also a milestone. He is now the first NBA player to record a triple-double in its 20th season.
LeBron passes Jackson, Nash
James is also climbing the all-time assists list. He started Tuesday’s game and needed nine assists to overtake both Mark Jackson and Steve Nash and move up to fourth all-time. He passed Jackson with his eighth court of the night and then passed Nash with his ninth via a bounce pass in traffic to set up a Thomas Bryant dunk in the fourth quarter.
Only John Stockton (15,806), Jason Kidd (12,901) and Chris Paul (11,246) have more assists than James (10,328). James is the only non-point guard to break the top 20. As the chase takes center stage, James’ greatness as a passer and all-rounder is on full display.
James beat Knicks guard Jalen Brunsen, who recorded 37 points and 6 assists while playing at the stretch to keep the Knicks in the game. But James’ Lakers held out in overtime after giving up a 6-0 run by the Knicks in the final 1:33 of regulation to send the game into the extra session.
The Lakers clinched a much-needed win as they attempt to advance into the playoff position. The win saw them improve to 24-28, two games behind 10th-ranked Utah Jazz, who would claim the last Western Conference play-in berth when the regular season ends Tuesday.
LeBron James hit a triple-double against the Knicks to get close to Kareem and pass Mark Jackson and Steve Nash on the career assists list. (Brad Penner/Portal)
It’s only a matter of time before LeBron James breaks the goal record
James is not chasing Kareem’s record in the late stages of his distinguished career. Far from it. His 30.2 point scoring average in 40 games would be the third-highest scoring rate of his 20 NBA seasons.
The story goes on
James averaged 20.9 points per game as a rookie and hasn’t dropped below that pace since. He’s on track to break Abdul-Jabbar’s record in 100+ games fewer than his fellow Lakers greats. Abdul-Jabbar matched his tally of 38,387 points in 1,560 games; The Lakers’ game against the Knicks was the 1407th of James’ career.
The pace has James on his way to overtaking Abdul-Jabbar against the Thunder on Feb. 7 if he doesn’t miss games. Here’s the upcoming Lakers game list as James tracks one of the recent major milestones in his basketball career.
Thursday: at Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m. ET
Saturday: at New Orleans Pelicans, 8 p.m. ET
February 7: vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, 10:30 p.m. ET
February 9: vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 10 p.m. ET (TNT)
February 11: at Golden State Warriors, 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
13th February: at Portland Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. ET
February 15: vs. New Orleans Pelicans, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN)