The stage was set for one of the most memorable days the NBA and its vast channels of players and fans have ever seen. Celebrities and stars from show business and other sports industries, including Jay-Z, Bad Bunny, Usher, John McEnroe, Floyd Mayweather, etc. were all present for the historical moment. The man of the hour, LeBron James was also accompanied by his beloved mother, wife and three children when he broke the all-time scoring record of the NBA, which was set almost four decades ago by one of the legends in the basketball game, former Milwaukee Buck and Los Angeles Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Kareem, whose former name was Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr., managed 38,387 points in his 21-year tenure as an NBA player. The player who perfected the most unguardable shot ever, “The Sky Hook”, won six NBA titles throughout his professional career and captured personal accolades such as two NBA Finals MVP awards, six NBA MVP awards and 19 NBA All-Star nominations.
LeBron and Bronny Exchanged Beautiful Moments During the Break
Coming into the game, LeBron was 36 points shy of Kareem’s record that stood for more than 33 years, and the former’s longevity and durability on the court are the main reasons why he is still competing at the highest level despite being 38 now. Furthermore, sharing the NBA floor with his eldest child, Bronny James, is LeBron’s current motivation to continuing playing in the world’s biggest basketball platform, which is why the Akron-born forward, who already had 20 of his 38 points of the evening in the first two quarters, went to have a chat with both of his sons to do the math. The 18-year-old Bronny encouraged his father to “Go ahead” with his plans and break the all–time scoring record.
With less than 20 seconds to go in the third quarter, LeBron caught a pass from his teammate Russell Westbrook on the right block and posted on Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams. The four-time NBA champion dribbled to the left and shot a fallaway 15-footer to score his 38,388th career point in NBA regular season games, surpassing Kareem’s record with his 14,053rd made field goal. The clock stopped to honour the unparalleled moment, in which NBA commissioner Adam Silver and the previous record holder of NBA’s all-time scoring record Kareem joined to appreciate LeBron’s greatness in the sports. The four-time NBA regular season and Finals MVP were seen emotional and shared the moment with his dear family afterwards.
Kareem gives LeBron the ball. Passing the torch. 👑
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 8, 2023
From One Laker to Another
It is noteworthy that the top four players in the all-time scoring record list of the NBA had all played for Los Angeles Lakers, with others being Kareem, Karl Malone as well as Kobe Bryant. As for James, he had already smashed multiple scoring records in this said list prior to the game against the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-led OKC, who won the game by three points at the end. The player, who had played for Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, remains the youngest player to score 10,000, 20,000 and 30,000 regular season points in the NBA and it is imminent that those records will not go away any time soon.
40,000 Points by the End of His Playing Career?
Knowing the toughness that lies within LeBron, it would be silly to think he will not go for the record of 40,000 regular season career point totals during his finals years in the NBA. Should he be able to do so, he will stand as the only person in the world to achieve that accomplishment.
During the post-match conference, LeBron admitted that he thinks thay he is the best ever to play the game of basketball, but does not restrict people who disagree with him as every fan of the game has a favourite, his quote read “I always feel like I’m the best to ever play this game, but there’s so many other great ones that I’m happy to just be a part of their journey.” When asked about when will be the end of his professional career, the 38-year-old added, “For sure, I know I can play a couple more years. The way I’m feeling, the way my body has been reacting to me through the course of this season, I know I can play a couple more years. It’s all about my mind. If my mind is still into it, if I’m still motivated to go out and try to compete for championships, because I feel like that’s what I can still do.”
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