LeBron James is likely to make history during the 2022-23 season, officially passing Los Angeles Lakers icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
James already has more career points than Abdul-Jabbar when both regular-season and playoff tallies are taken into account. However, the 37-year-old needs 1,326 points to break the great center’s legendary scoring record in the regular season (38,387), which has been in place for over 30 years.
During Lakers Media Day on Monday, James said he only thinks about reaching the milestone when he finds a post on social media that breaks down how many games he might need to move past Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time scoring list. But, the 18-time All-Star added, those moments make him realize how special feat he is about to achieve.
“To know that I’m on the verge of breaking probably the most sought-after record in the NBA, things that people say would probably never be done, I think it’s just super humbling for myself,” James said. “I think it’s super cool.”
James said that hearing his name being mentioned in the same category as the best players the NBA has ever seen brings back poignant memories from his childhood, when he walked around Akron, Ohio, shooting the ball through the hoop — real or imaginary one.
“Obviously Kareem has had his differences with some of my views and some of the things that I do, but at the end of the day, to be able to be recognized in the same breath as a guy who wore the same uniform, a guy that was a staple of this franchise along with Magic and Big Game over there for so many years, especially in the ‘80s, and a guy that does a lot off the floor as well — I think it’s just super duper dope for myself to be even in that conversation.
“Anytime my name is mentioned with the greats — obviously Wilt, M.J. or now Kareem or whatever the case might be — it’s just super humbling. As always see me use my hashtag, #TheKidFromAkron, those are the moments where I really think about that kid from Akron walking those streets and, you know, playing basketball where I actually had a basketball on the hoop or just walking around and air dribbling, and shooting through an invisible hoop, counting ‘Five, four, three, two, one’ and making game-winning shots.
“When I get here — I’m not going to put too much pressure on it throughout the season — but I think it’s a pretty historical moment it gets here and as long as my family and friends are all there, that’s the most important thing.”
When should James break Abdul-Jabbar’s record
In case this post makes James’ social media feeds, let’s calculate how many games the Lakers All-Star might need to break Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record.
James averages 27.1 points per game going into his 20th NBA season. If he was to score at that rate in 2021-22, he would only need 48 games to reach the milestone.
Therefore, James might be able to officially celebrate the historic moment before the All-Star break if he can avoid injuries in the first part of the 2022-23 season.
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