LeBron James entered Saturday night’s road game against the 76ers needing 18 points to pass Kobe Bryant for third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, and the Lakers superstar scored his 33,643rd and 33,644th career points in the third quarter with a layup on a drive to the bucket.
James wrote Bryant’s two Lakers numbers, 8 and 24, on his sneakers as a tribute to the Laker legend.
Can James eventually become the NBA’s scoring king? At his current scoring rate, it’s likely that James will pass Karl Malone for second in the 2021-22 NBA season – and if he remains healthy and doesn’t see a drop in production, it’s possible that James could surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the same season. It’s a safer bet that James will become the all-time leading scorer if he plays another three full seasons.
