LeBron James, A Player for the Los Angeles Lakers, has Become the League’s All-Time Leading Scorer

He was crowned “The Chosen One” a long time ago. He later developed into “The King.” The NBA’s all-time leading scorer is now him.

On Tuesday, LeBron James made one of the most significant baskets in league history, shattering Kareem Abdul-illustrious Jabbar’s record of 38,387 career points. Abdul-Jabbar was watching from the courtside.

James needed 36 points to break the record when the game began. He got there on a step-back fadeaway with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game at Crypto.com Arena.

The game was stopped for a brief ceremony when NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar greeted James at center court and handed him the game ball.

“I want to thank the Laker supporters. You guys are unique,” James remarked. “It means so much to me to be in the presence of someone as legendary and amazing as Kareem. This is quite demeaning. Please provide the captain with a standing ovation.

James then expressed his gratitude to his family for coming.

I want to thank everyone who has ever participated in this run with me over the past 20+ years because he stated that without you, I wouldn’t be who I am today. “All of y’support, enthusiasm, and sacrifices helped me get here.

“To the NBA, Adam Silver, and the late great David Stern, I sincerely thank you for allowing me to participate in something I had always envisioned. I would never have imagined that tonight would be any more wonderful than it is.

James paid homage to his earlier days by entering the court while sporting the traditional yellow Lakers jersey, pink sneakers, and a white headband.

Before the game, James said, “Here we go. “Vintage. “Helmet game.”

Before he scored his first points of the night on a step-back three, James went scoreless for the first five minutes of the game. He led the Lakers with eight straight points and 3-for-6 shooting over nine minutes in the opening period.

Early in the second, James made back-to-back three-pointers to increase his tally to 14.

His 20 points in the first half were the season’s second-most, and he finished with another three-pointer.

After making a string of threes in the third, James came close to breaking the mark. He made history by scoring 16 points in the third.

James has received numerous honors throughout his career, which has seen him play for Miami, win a championship in Cleveland, and travel to the west for a possible Hollywood ending after being selected first overall by his hometown Cavaliers. His biggest accomplishment may have been setting the scoring record, which required endurance, reliability, and availability.

On October 29, 2003, James, a rookie at the age of 18, scored his first NBA points against the Sacramento Kings on a 16-foot jumper off a pass from Ricky Davis. James has amassed nearly 40,000 points since that basket, earning him the Rookie of the Year award, four NBA titles, four MVP awards, three All-Star Game MVP awards, and two Olympic gold medals.

James averaged 20.9 points per game as a rookie and has since averaged at least 25 points per game three times, including more than 30 points. Since January 5, 2007, he has scored at least ten points in every game, setting an NBA record of 1,139 games and counting (he broke Michael Jordan’s record of 867 straight double-digit games in 2018).

Throughout two stints and 11 seasons with the Cavaliers, James scored 23,119 points. In his four seasons with the Heat, he scored 7,919 points. Currently, at 7,350 points, he has played for the Lakers for five seasons.

On Tuesday, he needed 36 points against the Thunder to break the record in his 1,410th career game. He was averaging 30.0 points per game in his 20th NBA season.

James made his NBA debut in 2003, scoring 25 points, the most of any player to do so after entering the league right out of high school. As a rookie, he scored 20.9 points on average, making him the player with the youngest career point total of 1,000.

Each of the round-number scoring milestones in the NBA saw the beginning of a trend. The youngest player reaches 5,000 career points was 21-year-old James in 2006, surpassing Kobe Bryant. He was the youngest to 10,000 in 2008 and so on, until, barring injury, he becomes the first player to accumulate 40,000 points next season.

James was the fourth NBA player to achieve 20,000 career points before turning 30 in 2013. (joining Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Wilt Chamberlain). He became one of just a handful of players to surpass 30,000 career points five years after Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Bryant, Jordan, Chamberlain, and Dirk Nowitzki.

In 2018, he passed Chamberlain. In 2019, Jordan. In 2020, Bryant. In 2022, Malone, and on Tuesday, Abdul-Jabbar.

In 1984, Abdul-Jabbar surpassed Chamberlain’s old record of 31,420 points. In his 20-year career, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 24.6 points per game across 1,560 games before retiring in 1989.

The number 38,387 might not be as revered as Wayne Gretzky’s soon-to-be-broken record of 894 career goals or Hank Aaron’s since-broken record of 755 lifetime home runs. LeBron’s final sum won’t, either. However, the title does.

He entered the NBA in a greatness-driven spotlight a long time ago. He’ll go out as the NBA’s all-time top scorer one day.