Tuesday night’s contest between the Lakers and the Jazz was anything but memorable, as it was an ugly game resulting in a Lakers defeat. The game was forgettable for so many reason, especially compared to another April 5th contest between the Lakers and the Jazz.
Tuesday marked the 27 year anniversary of the night Lakers legendary Center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored his 31,421st point, passing former Lakers great Wilt Chamberlain atop the NBA’s all time scoring list. Abdul-Jabbar beat Chamberlain’s record, which stood for 18 years.
Kareem actually broke the record in a rare regular season tilt held in Las Vegas. “Cap” broke the record in grand fashion, by using his lethal sky hook to score over Jazz center Mark Eaton, a moment that will forever live in basketball lore.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNGa_VDKqSE&feature=related
In the 27 years since Kareem hit one of seemingly thousands of his sky hooks, many great players have come and gone yet the record still stands. Dominant players such as Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Shaquille O’Neal have cracked the top five in the NBA’s all time scoring list, but have not been able to catch the Lakers’ legend.
Abdul-Jabbar wasn’t done yet after breaking the scoring record as he continued to build on his amazing legacy, tallying 38,387 points before ending his historic career in 1989.
The anniversary of Kareem’s record breaking moment begs the question: Can the record be broken?
Perhaps the only man with a shot at catching Kareem is the man who is quickly climbing the list of the NBA’s all time greatest list, none other than Kobe Bryant.