LeBron James passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as NBA’s all-time scorer.
From his first NBA game at 18-years-old to 20 years later in his 20th NBA season, LeBron James passed NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with 38,388 points on Tuesday night, a record that stood for 39 years.
With under 20 seconds left in the third quarter, LeBron’s achievement of greatness came on a fadeaway jumper from the elbow, running immediately after toward the other end of the court with both arms in the air, full of emotions.
“I thank you guys so much for allowing me to be a part of something I’ve always dreamed about,” said LeBron while addressing the crowd.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took center stage (as the game was put on pause) to congratulate LeBron on his historic accomplishment, with Kareem handing over the ball he broke the record with.
After the game, LeBron was asked a number of questions, and one that stood out most was where his historic achievements rank amongst all his accomplishments,
"Championships are at the top because I’m a team-first guy. You can’t be great in this league without great teammates and great coaches,” said LeBron. “The championships will always sit at the top for me,”
LeBron’s teammates praised their legendary teammate, and the rest of the NBA praised LeBron on Twitter for his feat.
“He’s put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into this game," said teammate Anthony Davis. “I’m just honored to be able to witness it live.”
The new NBA scoring record is a feat we may not see beaten in basketball history, with LeBron now on pace to score over 40,000 points and possibly over 45,000 to 50,000 with total points and playoff points combined. The longevity and ability to maintain a high level of excellence are something only a few players can do and have done, showing just how much discipline these players need to have to achieve greatness. Congrats LeBron, 38,388 and counting.
