LeBron James is the NBA’s new career scoring leader.
With a stepback jump shot with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, James pushed his career total to 38,388 points and broke the record Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held for nearly four decades.
James outstretched his arms, threw both hands in the air, then smiled.
Abdul-Jabbar rose from his seat and clapped. The game was stopped as some members of James’ family, including his wife, mother and his children, took the floor for a ceremony recognising the moment.
Abdul-Jabbar – one of many celebrities and sports stars who made sure they were there to see history – became the league’s all-time leading scorer on April 5, 1984 and wound up retiring in 1989 with 38,387 points.
It was a record that some thought would last forever, with very few even coming close.
Karl Malone retired 1,459 points behind Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant was 4,744 points shy, and Michael Jordan was 6,095 points away.
James passed them all, then caught Abdul-Jabbar, too. He did it in his 20th season. Abdul-Jabbar also played 20 NBA seasons.
James then got on a microphone and said: “Everybody that has ever been a part of this run with me the last 20-plus years, I want to say thank you so much because I wouldn’t be me without all y’all. All y’all helped. All y’all’s passion and sacrifices helped me to get to this point.
“And to the NBA to Adam Silver, to the late great David Stern, thank you very much for allowing me to be a part of something I always dreamed about. I would never in a million years dreamt this to be even better than what it is tonight. So (expletive) man, thank you guys.”
The star-studded crowd included tennis legend John McEnroe, music stars Jay-Z, LL Cool J and Bad Bunny, actor Denzel Washington and former Lakers players Bob McAdoo and James Worthy, among others.
With skills of a point guard, the shooting prowess of a wing and the strength of a power forward, James entered Tuesday’s game averaging 30 points per game this season and needing 36 on the night to break the record.
James, 38, has averaged 27.2 points per game in his career while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-10, 2014-18), Miami Heat (2010-14) and the Lakers (2018-present).
Not counted in his regular-season record total are James’ 7,631 playoff points, also the most by a player in NBA history. He has played in 266 career postseason games while winning four NBA championships.
THE PROFILE AND CAREER OF THE NBA’S NEW RECORD POINT SCORER LEBRON JAMES:
PROFILE
* Born December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio (age 38)
* NBA champion: 2012, 2013, 2016, 2020
* NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP): 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013
* NBA Finals MVP: 2012, 2013, 2016, 2020
* NBA All Star: 19 times (2005-2023)
* NBA Rookie of the Year: 2004
* Olympic medals: Three (Gold in 2008, 2012; Bronze in 2004)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
* Aged 18, James enters the 2003 NBA Draft straight out of high school and is the first overall pick, signed by his hometown team – the Cleveland Cavaliers.
* Averages 20.9 points a game in his debut season to become the first Cavaliers player to win the Rookie of the Year award.
* Makes his first All Star game appearance in the 2004-05 season.
* Becomes the Cavaliers’ all-time leading scorer in March 2008.
* Leads his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks in a single season in 2008-09 to win his first MVP award.
* Becomes a free agent in 2010 and announces his move to the Miami Heat on a live ESPN broadcast that was titled ‘The Decision’.
* Teams up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to reach the NBA Finals where the Heat are beaten by the Dallas Mavericks.
* Bounces back the following season to be crowned MVP for a third time and wins his first NBA championship after the Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder.
* The following year he takes his revenge on the Spurs in the final as the Heat win back-to-back titles.
* After missing out on a three-peat, James moves back to the Cavaliers.
* The Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors reach four straight NBA Finals between 2015-2018. The Warriors win three but James leads the Cavaliers from 3-1 down in the 2016 Finals to win 4-3 for the franchise’s only championship.
* In 2018, James leaves the Cavaliers for a second time and joins the Los Angeles Lakers.
* The Lakers win the 2020 championship title – their first since 2010. James dedicates the title to Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash earlier that year.
* In January 2023, two weeks after his 38th birthday, James becomes only the second player to score 38,000 career points.
* Breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 34-year-old record for most points in NBA history on February 7.
