LeBron James has begun his quest to become the best NBA scorer of all time, taking the title away from Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
James came into the season needing 1,353 points to match Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387 regular-season points, a record he has held for over 30 years.
The Lakers star is still a ways away from officially becoming the all-time best scorer, which would happen in 46 games if the four-time NBA champion keeps getting buckets at his current rate. And once the time comes, Magic Johnson told Shannon Sharpe on his “Club Shay Shay” podcast that his former “Showtime” teammate will have a difficult time accepting he no longer is at the top of the scoring list:
.@MagicJohnson reacts to LeBron James being on the verge of passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the All-Time Leading Scorer:
“If I got to be honest, Kareem isn’t going to handle it well…And it’s a dude that’s playing for the Lakers.” pic.twitter.com/o0xzAjGdYw
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) October 24, 2022
Johnson added Abdul-Jabbar probably thought no one would ever break his scoring record. That’s a fair assumption considering that, as Sharpe and Johnson pointed out, it will have taken James nearly 20 seasons to match the legendary center’s tally — while scoring 27 points per game over his entire career.
In addition, young basketball stars can’t start their NBA careers at 18 just as James did due to the league’s “one-and-done” rule that sets the minimum age required to declare for the draft at 19. However, reports claim the NBA might change the rules in the future as part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Johnson also said he hopes that James and Abdul-Jabbar will eventually improve their relationship after finding themselves at odds on certain off-the-court issues — such as support for the Black community and COVID-19 vaccines — over the last few years.
Magic expressed willingness to help the two Lakers legends find a common ground, which would be great considering James breaking the record should be cause for celebration amongst the Lakers organization and fan base.
James discusses ‘humbling’ prospect of breaking Abdul-Jabbar’s record
Regardless of his relationship, or lack thereof, with Abdul-Jabbar, James understands the magnitude of the Lakers icon’s record and how special an achievement it will be to break it.
“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,” the Lakers All-Star said ahead of the start of the 2022-23 season.
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