LeBron James cracks the all-time scoring record, surpassing fellow Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in his 20th NBA season
No matter how die-hard basketball fans argue about the greatest player of all time, LeBron James has already etched his name in the stars as THE GREATEST in his generation.
Needing 36 points to snatch the throne from fellow Los Angeles Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the basketball king posted 38 points on Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.
James broke the record which had stood for nearly 39 years, roughly halfway through his 20th NBA season when he scored his 36th point on a fadeaway jumper as the crowd went wild after witnessing history with their very eyes, reported NPR.
Sitting courtside was Abdul-Jabbar, now second in the all-time scoring list, who stood and celebrated right after James hit historic record-breaking point, shaking James’ hand and exchanging hugs at center court for an on-court ceremony.
The new record-holder then addressed the crowd with overflowing emotions.
“Everybody that has ever been a part of this run with me the last 20-plus years, I want to say thank you so much because I wouldn’t be me without all y’all. All y’all helped. All y’all’s passion and sacrifices helped me to get to this point,” James said as reported by Sports Inquirer.
“And to the NBA, to Adam Silver, to the late great David Stern, thank you very much for allowing me to be a part of something I always dreamed about. I would never in a million years dreamt this to be even better than what it is tonight. So (expletive) man, thank you, guys.”
LeBron’s record-chasing night drew a huge crowd in LA with some of the brightest stars in the industry taking their time to drop by the arena and see the historic event in real time, which included included tennis legend John McEnroe, music stars Jay-Z, LL Cool J and Bad Bunny, actor Denzel Washington and former Lakers players Bob McAdoo and James Worthy, among others.
Capping the night, James had his record at 38,390 points — looking down on Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan in the top five of all-time scorers.
Tags: #NBA, #basketball, #Lakers