Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has accumulated multiple MVP awards, NBA Finals MVPs, rings, All-Star appearances and so much more, but there is another throne The King is pursuing: the all-time scoring record.
James recently surpassed 36,000 points throughout his 19-year career, becoming one of three players to ever eclipse that mark. Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the other two.
Abdul-Jabbar holds the top spot with 38,387 points, so James needs to keep going if he wants to make history again. James is currently averaging 28.9 points this season, an incredible feat for someone who just turned 37.
If James passes Abdul-Jabbar, the former Laker and Milwaukee Buck legend would be there to celebrate his achievement, Kareem said in a response to Magic Johnson on Twitter:
If he can keep up his consistency I’ll gladly be there to congratulate him if and when he breaks the scoring record.
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) January 11, 2022
“If he can keep up his consistency I’ll gladly be there to congratulate him if and when he breaks the scoring record.”
Abdul-Jabbar told longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein in September he’d be right there to cheer James on if James broke the record. Abdul-Jabbar said he views records as human achievements, not personal achievements, and that everyone wins when a record is broken.
It could be a moment similar to when Ray Allen and Reggie Miller attended Stephen Curry’s record-breaking night this year when he became the all-time leader in made 3s.
