NBA: LeBron James becomes all-time leading scorer, overtakes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
LeBron James has become the all-time leading scorer in NBA. He achieved the feat after breaking the record of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during Los Angeles Lakers' game against Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. James, who reached the landmark in the third quarter with a two-pointer, now has 38,390 points. Meanwhile, legend Abdul-Jabbar attained 38,387 points in his illustrious career.
WATCH: How LeBron entered the record books
LeBron breaks 38-year-old record
LeBron's added another feather to his cap as he amassed 38,390 points in just over 1,400 appearances. Besides, Abdul-Jabbar had taken 1,560 games to register 38,387 points. Interestingly, he had held the record since April 1984. No other player has accumulated over 35,000 points in NBA history. Karl Malone (36,928) and Kobe Bryant (33,643) follow Abdul-Jabbar on this list.
LeBron expresses his elation
The Lakers-City game was paused briefly after James accomplished the milestone. An on-court ceremony with Abdul-Jabbar and NBA commissioner Adam Silver followed. "I just want to say, thank you to the Laker faithful. You guys are one of a kind," James said. "To be able to be in the presence of such a legend as great as Kareem, it's very humbling."
LeBron broke this record last year
LeBron holds the record in terms of scoring (combined points) in regular-season and playoff games. He overtook Abdul-Jabbar (44,149 points) in this regard during last season's playoffs. LeBron now has 44,724 combined regular-season and playoff points.
A look at LeBron's incredible achievements
Lebron is a four-time NBA Champion (2012, 2013, 2016, and 2020). He has been adjudged the NBA Most Valuable Player four times (2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013). LeBron has been the NBA Finals MVP as many times (2012, 2013, 2016, and 2020). He is one of four players to have won an NBA Championship with three franchises - Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Lakers.
His incredible records
LeBron has the fourth-most assists in NBA history (10,354), only behind John Stockton (15,806), Jason Kidd (12,091), and Chris Paul (11,283). The Lakers star has appeared in 10 NBA Finals, the third-most (eight consecutive finals between 2011 and 2018). In 2022, Lebron became the first and only player in NBA history to rack up over 10,000 career points, rebounds, and assists.
