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HomeNEWSLeBron James surpasses Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to set a new NBA scoring record

LeBron James surpasses Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to set a new NBA scoring record

LeBron James is a professional basketball player who currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time and has won numerous awards and accolades, including four NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, two Olympic gold medals, and four NBA championships. James has also been named to the All-NBA First Team fifteen times and is a two-time Olympic champion and a two-time FIBA World Cup champion.

The scoring king of the NBA is LeBron James.

On Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers star surpassed Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-38,387 Jabbar’s career points to become the NBA’s all-time top scorer.

With 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter, he made a fadeaway mid-range jumper for his 35th and 36th points of the contest to set the record.

James broke a record that Abdul-Jabbar had held for almost 40 years, breaking it in front of his sons Bronny and Bryce, daughter Zhuri, and other family members.

The contest was over. James invited his family onto the court, where he kissed and hugged his wife Savannah, and his mother Gloria. Following a tribute film by the Lakers, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver praised James. James received the game ball from Abdul-Jabbar, and the two then hugged.

James made a point while Abdul-Jabbar was seated courtside, clapping every time. Along with James’ family, Dwyane Wade, Maverick Carter, and Rich Paul were there as well.

The likes of Magic Johnson, Jay-Z, Phil Knight, the inventor of Nike, LL Cool J, Bad Bunny, Floyd Mayweather, and John McEnroe were among the notables who were present.

James entered the arena wearing an all-black suit with a “Stay present” pin in gold and black. James wore his once-regular headband and a T-shirt that said “Built by Black History” as he entered the court for warm-ups.

The significance of the situation pleased him.

At 7:05 in the first quarter, James made a 3-pointer after missing his first two attempts. Despite receiving an elbow to the eye from Josh Giddey during a driving layup, he continued to play. He left the game with eight points after the first quarter a short while afterward.

James scored a game-high 12 points in the second quarter, including a fast six points on back-to-back and-1s. He made a 3-pointer in addition, finishing the first half with 20 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc and 6-for-8 at the line.

In a third quarter that saw him score 16 points, he fervently pursued the record.

LeBron James, 38, is still going strong

As long as LeBron James kept reasonably healthy, he would eventually break Michael Jordan’s scoring record, which he did in 2019, Kobe Bryant in 2020, and Karl Malone in 2022. James was expected to surpass Abdul-Jabbar in the early 2023 season with his starting total of 37,062 points. James had set himself up to finish it by the end of January.

This season has seen an increase in high-scoring individual performances, and James, who is 38 years old, has benefited from this trend. He had five performances of 40 or more points, including a season-high 48 against Houston on January 6. He has at least 30 points in 22 of 43 games.

No other player his age has averaged more than 24 points in a season, and he now holds the seventh-highest scoring average in the league with 30 points per game.

LeBron scores goals nonstop

James’ rise to the top of the scoring mountain is defined by an unheard-of convergence of supreme talent, reliability, endurance, and availability.

He averages 27 points per game throughout his career, and other than his rookie year, when he averaged 20.9 points, he has never had a season with fewer than 25 points per game. He has improved his shooting from long-range, mid-range, and the rim throughout his career.

James has been a relentless scorer, being the youngest player in NBA history to hit 10,000 points in 2008, 20,000 points in 2013, and 30,000 points in 2018. He has at least 10 points in 1,140 games, a league record that dates back to January 6, 2007, 274 more than Jordan, who is ranked second on the list.

Let’s examine James’ development:

against Oklahoma City, 38,390 points in total

Feb. 7: James scored his 35th and 36th points in the third quarter to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. He finished with 38 points on 13 of 20 shooting, 8 of 10 in the charity stripe, including 4-for-6 on three-pointers. In the third frame, he finished with 16 points.

James scored 12 points in the second quarter, including a fast six points on back-to-back and-1s. He made a 3-pointer in addition, giving him 20 points at the break.

At 7:05 in the first quarter, James made a 3-pointer on his third attempt after missing his first two shots of the game. Despite receiving an elbow to the eye from Josh Giddey during a driving layup, he continued to play. He stopped participating in the game a short while later, finishing the first quarter with eight points.

Points needed to break the record:0

38,352 points in his career at New Orleans

Feb. 4: James is moving closer to breaking the scoring mark, probably a game or two away. Anthony Davis had 34 points and 14 rebounds, while he had 27 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. But in the Lakers’ 131-126 loss to the Pelicans, who were led by Brandon Ingram’s 35 points, it wasn’t enough.

Points lacking:35

38,325-lifetime points at Indiana

James contributed 26 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds to the Lakers’ 112-111 comeback victory over the Pacers on February 2. For the Lakers, Anthony Davis had a game-high 31 points and 14 rebounds, and LeBron James scored 15 of his team’s points in the second half while shooting 2-for-5 from outside the arc and 11-for-19 from the floor.

Points lacking:62

a 38,299 career point total in New York

James contributed 28 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds as the Lakers defeated the Knicks 129-123 in overtime on January 31. James returned with his 106th career triple-double, one behind Jason Kidd for fourth all-time, after missing Monday’s game against Brooklyn due to left ankle discomfort. While the scoring record is the main focus, James also passed Mark Jackson and Steve Nash to move into fourth place on the list of all-time assists. James is just ahead of Chris Paul, Kidd, and John Stockton.

Points lacking:88

38,271-lifetime points at Boston

The Lakers fell 125-121 in overtime on January 28 despite James’ 41-point performance against the Celtics. James adores playing in Boston. James got nine rebounds, and eight assists, and was fouled just seconds before he could have made the game-winning shot. Later, the officials who did not make a foul call acknowledged they made a mistake.

Points lacking:116

against San Antonio, 38,230 points in total

On January 25, James’ 20 points tied for his third-lowest scoring performance of the year. Following a single game in which he made a career-high nine 3-pointers, James shot just 1-for-6 from outside the arc while shooting an overall 8-for-20. James, who came close to a triple-double with nine rebounds and 11 assists, and the Lakers received a boost from Anthony Davis’ return (21 points) and the arrival of Rui Hachimura (12 points) off the bench as they defeated the Spurs 113-104.

Points lacking:157

38,210 career points versus the Los Angeles Clippers

On January 24, James scored 46 points, including a career-high nine made 3-pointers (on 14 attempts). James, who scored 28 points in the second half, became the first player in NBA history to score 40 points in a game while playing all 30 teams, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Unfortunately, the Clippers once again prevailed, 133-115, over James and the Lakers. The Clippers have defeated their in-arena rivals 10 times in a row.

Points lacking:177

38,164 points over my career at Portland

Jan. 22: James scored 37 points against the Blazers, helping the Lakers overcome a 25-point hole at the break to win 121-112. James has averaged 35.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 53% from the field since turning 38 on December 30.

Points lacking:223

38,127 points in a career against Memphis

Jan. 20: James scored 23 points as the Lakers defeated the Grizzlies, who had an 11-game winning streak coming in, 122-121.

38,104-lifetime points vs Sacramento

James scored 32 points on January 18 but the Cavaliers fell to the Kings 116-111. James logged 36 minutes, and Lakers coach Darvin Ham indicated he needed to find a way to shorten James’ playing time and give him some rest after the game.

38,072-lifetime points against Houston

On January 16, James led the Lakers to a 140-132 victory with a season-high 48 points. James had another effective game, going 16 for 26 from the field, 5 for 10 from beyond the arc, and 11 for 12 from the charity stripe.

Philadelphia matchup 38,024 total points

On January 15, James scored 35 points in a 113-112 loss to the Sixers, breaking the 38,000-point barrier. Although he hit 15 of his 23 shots and 14 of his 18 free throws, Philadelphia was still able to advance.

37,989-lifetime points vs. Dallas

Jan. 12: In a matchup against the Mavs and Luka Doncic, James scored just 24 points and played poorly, going 9 for 28 from the floor and 0 for 7 from beyond the arc as Dallas prevailed 119-115 after two overtimes.

a total of 37,965 points at Sacramento

Jan. 7: James scored 37 points in the Lakers’ 136-134 victory over Cleveland in Sacramento, the place where he played his debut game.

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