LeBron James may not be thought of as a pure scorer, but he continues to rise up the record books when it comes to points. Earlier this season he passed Dirk Nowitzki for sixth all-time and now he’s surpassed a Los Angeles Lakers legend to move the list yet again.
In the fourth quarter of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers, James hit a floater that drew a foul call, with the free throw giving him 39 points of the night to pass the great Wilt Chamberlain for fifth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. It gave James 21,420 points in his career.
James put on a dominant performance overall in what was his best game in a Lakers uniform. Making history on this night as well, just makes it that much sweeter, and he passes another Lakers legend to do it.
James now only has four players ahead of him, three of whom have played for the Lakers. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is obviously at the top of the list, followed by Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant.
“It’s part of what makes working for the Lakers so amazing, is you have this history here,” Lakers head coach Luke Walton noted. “That’s obviously a huge list of players. For him to be up there speaks more to what he’s done over his entire career, obviously. The fact that he’s in a Lakers jersey as he does anything more, just adds to the legacy of what the Lakers are.”
Next up in James’ sight is Michael Jordan, who is fourth all-time with 32,292 points. The history may not be done this season as James would surpass Jordan later on this season if he continues on this current pace.