One of the biggest accomplishments LeBron James made as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers was becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing franchise legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s longstanding record. And now that James’ time with the Lakers has come to an end, Abdul-Jabbar believes the fans everywhere should appreciate the superstar.
Following the news that the 41-year-old would continue his playing career elsewhere, Abdul-Jabbar took to social media to praise James and telling the fans to appreciate everything he accomplished in the purple and gold:
@KingJames LeBron was a winner on and off the court, and Laker fans should appreciate his performance for the last 8 years. If LeBron goes home to Cleveland, it won’t matter if they win the World Championship or not because his hometown fans will get their opportunity to say… pic.twitter.com/TbqcidzTt0
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) June 30, 2026
Whether fans like him or not, James’ impact on the Lakers’ franchise can not be argued. The Lakers were in the midst of their worst stretch in the history of the franchise, and he came in and brought the team back to the top of the mountain, winning the 2020 NBA Championship and returning the organization to its place amongst the elite franchises in all of sports.
This past season, James also surpassed Abdul-Jabbar’s record for most combined wins (regular season and playoffs) in NBA history, so if the big man wanted to be a bit salty towards the superstar he could have. But that has never been the style of Abdul-Jabbar and instead he continues to exhibit nothing but grace towards James and simply wants the fanbase to do the same.
Where James winds up for his 24th season is still unknown, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the favorites and a return to his hometown team to end his career would be an amazing story. And Abdul-Jabbar is right in that those fans will be ecstatic for one more run to cheer James on, though they likely will be hoping for one last championship as well from the man who brought them their only one back in 2016. Regardless, the time for James and the Lakers to part ways has come and one day his jersey will be next to Abdul-Jabbar’s in the rafters of the Crypto.com Arena.
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