After a Lakers game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Lebron James surpassed Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s hallowed NBA record of 38,387 all time points scored. Still in his peak after 20 years in the league, he will most likely hit 40,000 within the next two seasons and be the first ever NBA player to do so. With another groundbreaking record under his belt, James continues to build his already stacked legacy with more incredible feats.
Throughout James’ career, he has been compared to NBA legend Michael Jordan for the title of the NBA’s best player ever. Most commonly referred to as the G.O.A.T. debate (Greatest Of All Time), Lebron has shifted the debate more in his favor after breaking this record. Although Jordan has more championship rings and MVPs, James has more All-stars, all-NBA selections, rebounds, assists, and now the scoring record.
“I always say Michael Jordan is the G.O.A.T.,” said former NBA player Dirk Nowitzki in a press conference. “If [James] really surpasses Kareem in the scoring record, I’m sort of running out of arguments for Michael. I mean what this guy has done is nothing short of incredible.”
Earlier this season, James passed up Mark Jackson and Steve Nash in all-time assists following his game with the Knicks on Jan. 31. Now, James is ranked fourth on the leaderboard, being the only player that’s not a point guard to break the top 20 for this record.
Playing since 2003, James has racked up a staggering amount of accomplishments throughout his career. He has led his team to 10 NBA finals, eight of those consecutively, and has won four of them. In his 2016 championship run with the Cavaliers, he made NBA history by leading the only team to win in the Finals down 3-1.
Named as the “chosen” one in his impressive debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he was known for his impressive speed and athleticism in his early years. As James matured throughout his career, he attacked the paint less, opting to refine his shooting ability. Despite numerous critiques that he relied too heavily on his athleticism early on, James is still putting high numbers on the court, averaging 30 points this season.
“At 18 and 20, you’re just doing it off straight-up energy and straight skill,” James said in a postgame interview, “But at 38 for me, it’s mental… How much rest I can get from day to day, get my optimal sleep, get the right food in me, treat my body right.”
In order to keep this up, Lebron has spent around a million every year to keep his body in shape by utilizing training equipment, trainers, and an electrostimulation machine. Taking pilates, explosive, and strength training twice a day, he has a specific and rigorous regimen in order to match the speed of the younger players in the league.
“His ability to do what he does at his age is incredibly uncommon. But there’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to be able to maintain that,” Miami Heat head coach and Lebron’s former coach Erik Spoelstra said to Reuters.
Nearing 40 years old, Lebron resumes his astounding career, becoming both the oldest and youngest player to average more than 25 points per game. He joins the 20-year club with only eight other NBA players, with notable names like Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant. Usually, players succumb to injury or age, but Lebron continues, so he can eventually play with his oldest son, Bronny James.
“I need to be on the floor with my boy,” LeBron said to ESPN “I gotta be on the floor with Bronny [in] same uniform or a matchup with him.”
