PHILADELPHIA _ In a town where Kobe Bryant spent most of his childhood, in a building where fans once booed the Los Angeles Laker great, the crowd rose in anticipation of a moment in history.
LeBron James drove down the baseline after a screen set by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, then became the third-leading scorer in NBA history with a driving layup.
James passed Kobe Bryant on the league's all-time scoring list for third place with 7:22 left in the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers. The game stopped not long after, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation as their video board noted James' accomplishment. His teammates surrounded him as he sat on the bench. Then he stood up and waved to acknowledge the fans.
James sits in third place behind Karl Malone, who scored 36,928 points in his career and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who scored 38,387. Bryant is now fourth at 33,643 points. James finished the game with 29 points, but the Lakers lost 108-91 to the 76ers. Anthony Davis led all scorers with 31 points on 13-of-22 shooting from the field. James also had eight assists and seven rebounds.
Philadelphia was led by Ben Simmons, who had 28 points on 12-of-15 shooting, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Tobias Harris contributed 29 points and eight rebounds in the victory.
James crept toward the feat throughout the Lakers' five-game road trip. He scored 31 points against the Houston Rockets, 15 against the Boston Celtics, 21 against the New York Knicks and 27 against the Brooklyn Nets. That left him 18 points shy of passing Bryant heading into Saturday night's game.
While the anticipation of the moment grew for others, the 17-year veteran insisted he wasn't thinking about it.
"Anytime I'm linked with the greats or I'm able to do something in my career where I'm mentioned with any of the greats, it's a pretty cool thing," James said on Thursday after finishing with a tripl-double in a win over the Brooklyn Nets. "But as far as looking at the scoring, I don't know. That doesn't mean much to me. Just the overall point in my game is what means more to me. Me being an overall, all-around player. Being able to be successful on the floor and being able to contribute to the franchises that I've played for_the three franchises that I've played for so far in my career."
James scored his first point on a free throw, then the next two on a layup after a steal. In all, he scored six points but committed four turnovers in the first quarter. In the second quarter, he scored six more before resting, then re-entered the game with about three minutes until halftime.
With just under two minutes left in the half, James had 14 points and stepped back for a three that would have tied him with Bryant. It missed, but after the Lakers collected the rebound, the ball found its way to James again, and he missed a short jumper. With 1:01 left in the half, he charged into Furkan Korkmaz for James' third foul. He went to the bench.
As the third quarter began, he scored on a left-handed layup 1:13 into the period, which cut the Lakers' deficit to 10. A step-back three moments later would have done it. But James had to wait just a little while longer. By the time he scored his 18th point, the 76ers had a 20-point lead, 74-54.
"Just as a fan, you just step back and watch his body of work no matter where he goes," Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said before the game. "And it's just off-the-charts unique and he does it with class. He really, amongst all his success and the attention he receives on a daily basis, the content need that your job requires, which I understand, he doesn't seem to blink. He's got character. He lives right. He acts right.
"He's arguably the greatest player to ever play this sport. It's just hard to remember an instance or moment that trumps the other. It's just his collection of work. It's ridiculous."
