LeBron James broke the NBA scoring record, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

LeBron James just passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Most regular season points scored in the history of the NBA.

In front of cheering fans at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar secured his place in the record books during the third quarter of Tuesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. James set the record with a lackluster jumper with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter.

James extended his arms, threw both hands in the air, then smiled. Abdul-Jabbar got up from his seat and applauded. The game was halted as some members of James’ family, including his mother, wife, and children, took the floor for a party in honor of the moment.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Abdul-Jabbar came up mid court to pay tribute to a clearly emotional James.

“LeBron, you are the all-time NBA scoring leader, congratulations,” Silver said.

James then took the mic to say, “Thank you Laker followers. You are one of a kind.”

He then asked the crowd to give Abdul-Jabbar a standing ovation.

“To be in the presence of a legend like Karim, it’s so humbling,” said James. “Please give a standing ovation to the captain, please.”

James’ record-breaking night was bittersweet, as the Lakers fell to the Thunder 133-130. James finished with 38 points, and his regular season career total is now 38,390 points.

James, 38, is now in possession of the coveted record — long considered one of the elusive NBA goalscorers — leaving the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar, and Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone in second and third, respectively, on the scoring list. Absolutely . Abdul-Jabbar became the league’s top scorer in 1984, scoring 38,387 points in his career, a record since 1989.

James, a native of Akron, Ohio, scored his first NBA points on October 29, 2003, when he made a powerful shot against the Sacramento Kings as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team that drafted him. Since then, he has averaged 27 points per game over his 20 seasons in the NBA, according to Basketball referencedespite not describing himself as a typical logger.

In the past month, he has become the only player other than Abdul-Jabbar to score a goal 38,000 points. However, James is still trailing Abdul-Jabbar, who, surprisingly, has only had one three-pointer in his career.

In an interview with CBS News, James’ former teammate, Memphis Grizzlies forward Danny Green described the 6-foot-9 James as a “unicorn” who can defeat you in a number of offensive ways.

“It’s like a freight train coming at you,” he said before James’ historic moment. “And he knows how to use his body and coordinate. It’s near impossible to guard him, especially when he’s jumping 40 inches in the air.”

Last week, James jumped to fourth on the all-time passing leader. Green said his passing abilities make him difficult to contain on the field.

“It’s going to burn you in many different ways other than scoring because he can do that,” Green added. “I think it’s easier for him to score and harder to guard.”

Ticket prices To see James soar over $69,000 for Tuesday’s game against the Thunder, a couple of tickets racked up $106,000 for Thursday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, according to live seats.

Green told CBS News that he didn’t think anyone else would beat James’ record — just as he didn’t think anyone would beat Abdul-Jabbar.

“You have to see someone else play 20 years again at a high level, which I don’t think we’ll ever see,” he said. “With the contracts we have, the guys will retire – they don’t need to play 20 years anymore.”

In October, James contemplated the possibility of breaking the preseason scoring record.

James said, “To sit here and know I’m about to break the NBA’s most wanted record, and things that people said would never happen, I think is just so humbling to me.” Lakers Media Day.

last year, Abdul-Jabbar told ESPN that if James broke the record, he would be “so happy for it”.

“The game always gets better when records like these are broken, so LeBron should enjoy his achievement,” he said. “He’s worked really hard to get this far. And for him, he’s going to wait and see who might be lucky enough to break his record, if that’s going to happen. It’s always about moving it to the next player in line.”

mosques ESPN said In January he wanted to play until his eldest son, Bruni Jr., made it to the league, meaning his scoring record could be much higher when he hung up his sneakers. ESPN reported that Bronny Jr. He will be eligible to participate in the 2024-2025 season under the current collective bargaining agreement.

Since entering the league in 2003, James has become one of the biggest stars in the NBA, collecting four championship rings in the process. He played for the Lakers and Miami Heat and had two separate stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers. When he retires, James will leave behind an induction into the Hall of Fame and be well respected as one of the best players to ever step onto the NBA field.