LeBron James

2023 - 2 - 8

LeBron James breaks the NBA career scoring record, passing ... (NPR)

The last time a new name appeared atop the NBA's all-time points rankings was in April 1984. LeBron James was born later that year.

The points record is a testament to an athlete's scoring ability, but also to their stamina and long-term durability. Over that span, he's gone to the NBA Finals Add Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain, and you have the only seven NBA players to score more than 30,000 points. He's slated to be a captain in that game, which will tip off Feb. James addressed the crowd and was emotional about what he'd just done. Abdul-Jabbar was in attendance to witness the accomplishment, along with countless other celebrities.

The Story of LeBron James's 38390 Points (The New York Times)

Teammates. Competitors. Victims of his memes. They each have a story about James's road to breaking the N.B.A. career scoring record.

It’s his chase-down block of Andre in the finals.” James is known for a diligent diet and exercise regimen that has allowed him to stretch his career and remain dominant past the typical N.B.A. Gooden said he “took it for granted” that he had played with James. But Erik Spoelstra, who coached James to two championships with the Heat, said he believed that James could have done it any time he wanted to. “He’s calculating everything that is going on at a rapid speed,” Adebayo said. His attacks to the basket,” Rivers said. Commissioner Adam Silver, in an email, called the record “one of the most hallowed” in all sports. “For me, as a rookie, it was a whirlwind of excitement,” Curry said. Over the past 20 years, James’s ascent to the top of the scoring list has impressed Hall of Fame players as he made a definitive case to join their ranks and perhaps be considered the best among them. Of James, he said, “His extraordinary athleticism, power and speed leave you in awe.” It was from his 2009-10 rookie season, when James was in his seventh year with the Cleveland Cavaliers. “Nobody could imagine somebody doing it,” said Drew Gooden, who played hundreds of games alongside James in Cleveland.

LeBron James breaks NBA's all-time scoring record, surpassing ... (CNN)

LeBron James became the association's all-time leading scorer in the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, ...

“I know I can play a couple more years. I know what I bring to the table every single night and what I can do out on this floor.” “It’s a towering achievement that speaks to his sustained excellence over 20 seasons in the league. Silver released a statement congratulating James “on breaking one of the most hallowed records in all of sports.” “Everybody that’s ever been a part of this run with me the last … NBA Commissioner Adam Silver congratulated him, and Abdul-Jabbar – in attendance and clapping as James neared the record – handed him a game ball at center court.

LeBron James breaks NBA scoring record, surpassing Kareem ... (ESPN)

With a third-quarter jump shot Tuesday night against the Thunder, Lakers star LeBron James overtook Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time scoring leader ...

"I just think it was a blessing and an honor to be able to be a part of it," said Ham. His businesses, him speaking out on social issues, his leadership; he's an example to not just young basketball players, but young human beings, domestically and internationally, for how to be a professional, how to have passion, how to be persistent, productive, and never to be satisfied." The scoring record was never, ever even thought of in my head because I've always been a pass-first guy." Abdul-Jabbar made only one 3-pointer in his career, averaging 24.6 points in his 20 seasons, setting the all-time mark in 1,560 games played. "I never thought that Kareem's scoring record would be broken by anybody," Lakers great Magic Johnson said in a message congratulating James. You have to give him credit for just the way he played and for the way he's lasted and dominated. Please give a standing ovation to the Captain, please." James entered the game with 38,352 points, needing 36 to overtake Abdul-Jabbar. "To be able to be in the presence of such a legend as great as Kareem, it's very humbling. "I just want to say, thank you to the Laker faithful. Abdul-Jabbar held the game ball aloft, then handed it to James, the ceremonial passing of the torch. After the record-breaking shot, which came with 10.9 seconds left in the quarter, James raised both hands into the air as he looked skyward.

LeBron James breaks NBA's all-time scoring record, passes Kareem ... (USA TODAY)

In one of sports' biggest achievements, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar scored his record-breaking 38388th point, against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

James has been a relentless scorer – the youngest to 10,000 points in 2008, the youngest to 20,000 points in 2013 and just the seventh player in NBA history to reach 30,000 points in 2018. He has scored at least 10 points in a league-record 1,140 games, a record that began on Jan. Throughout his career, he has adapted his game to become a proficient scorer from 3-point range, mid-range and at the rim. He has scored at least 30 points in 22 of 43 games, with five 40-plus performances, including a season-high 48 against Houston on Jan. He took a Josh Giddey elbow to the eye on a driving layup but remained in the game. When he took the court for warm-ups, James sported a T-shirt that read "Built by Black History" along with his once-customary headband.

LeBron James Is the New NBA Scoring King. He's Not Done Yet (TIME)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James tosses powder in the air prior to the team's NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, Feb. 7, ...

[Abdul-Jabbar passed Wilt Chamberlain in 1984](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K06R3Te4HAc) to set the new NBA all-time points record. (James needed no assist to secure his record). James is likely to finish his career with more than 40,000 points, setting a ridiculously high new bar. He may not look it — he’s bald and he’s got a beard now — but when he first came into the league and he wore that headband and was just jumping around, you can still see that. [Kobe Bryant](https://time.com/5774268/kobe-bryant-basketball-legacy/)—the NBA’s fourth-leading scorer, with 33,643 points—skipped college basketball, entering the NBA straight from high school. He’ll likely spend at least a year in college playing basketball (Bronny has listed USC, Oregon, and Ohio State as options). While he’s being compensated handsomely to continue playing—the Lakers are paying him north of $44 million this season—endorsement income and business interests would have continued to enrich him for years. He was 37 when he retired in 2016, slowed by Achilles and knee injuries at the end of his career. In basketball circles, Wilt Chamberlain’s single-game scoring mark—a tidy, round [100 points](https://www.nba.com/news/history-top-moments-wilt-chamberlain-scores-100)—is probably more cherished. Abdul-Jabbar (2nd), Karl Malone (3rd), and Michael Jordan (5th), scored their final buckets at 42, 40, and 40, respectively. The record-breaking moment was a reminder of all that James has accomplished. A video tribute to James played on the Jumbotron at Crypto.com Arena.