Even though the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night, it was a historic night for LeBron James as with 26 points, he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in the regular and postseason.
James still has a ways to go to pass both Karl Malone and Abdul-Jabbar on the actual all-time scoring list, which only includes regular season, but with the postseason added, James now stands alone with 44,157 total points.
While James was disappointed that it came in a losing effort, he discussed what the milestone means to him after the game.
“Well, it’s hard for me to speak on it now because I hate doing anything that comes in a loss and we had an opportunity to win a big game tonight,” James said. “But like I said, throughout my career, any time I’ve been linked with some of the greats I’ve just been in awe. I’ve been appreciative to have an opportunity to play this game at the highest level. I love the game of basketball, I love being a part of the NBA and being able to inspire so many different sets of generations.
“And along that way when you’re able to accomplish individually then at some point, I guess having an opportunity to kind of sit back and think about it and how you feel about it.”
James also gave thanks to the people who have congratulated him on the milestone.
“So I don’t have really much of a [reaction]… because the loss is so fresh in my mind. It’s the only thing that kind of running through my mind. My teammates came up to me, the majority of my teammates came up to me when they heard the news, and a couple guys on the coaching staff as well.
“I got some text messages after the game. Friends and family and love ones, so it’s a pretty big deal and I thank all the congratulatory wishes for sure.”
If James continues to score at such a high rate, then he should pass Malone on the actual scoring list towards the end of this season and then Abdul-Jabbar potentially next year.
Abdul-Jabbar excited for James to pass him on scoring list
With the looming possibility, Abdul-Jabbar recently discussed how he would feel about James passing him on the scoring list and he is excited.
“I’m excited to see it happen,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “I don’t see records as personal accomplishments, but more as human achievements. If one person can do something that’s never been done, that means we all have a shot at doing it. It’s a source of hope and inspiration. Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile back in 1954.
“Since then, not only have 1,400 runners beaten that time, but the new record is 17 seconds less. We all win when a record is broken and if LeBron breaks mine, I will be right there to cheer him on.”
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