Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is on the verge of history as he chases another franchise legend in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
James has never considered himself to be a scorer, but he is now in his 20th season averaging at least 20 points and his scoring output has arguably been at its best during the last two seasons with the Lakers.
Since joining the purple and gold, James has passed some other Lakers on the all-time scoring list, including Kobe Bryant for third and Karl Malone for second.
James passed Bryant in Philadelphia the night before the Lakers legend tragically passed away on Jan. 26, 2020. Kobe gave LeBron a salute on social media, which obviously meant a lot to James who grew up idolizing both Bryant and Michael Jordan.
LeBron then passed Malone last March, albeit in a losing effort against the Washington Wizards. James recently spoke about how a lot of his recent accomplishments have come in losses, which haven’t been worth celebrating. So hopefully when he finally does pass Abdul-Jabbar to be the all-time leading scorer, it can come in a win. James will be celebrated regardless, but it will certainly mean a lot more to him and the Laker faithful if a victory can come along with it.
With James currently averaging around 30 points per game, he projects to pass Abdul-Jabbar when the Lakers host the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, Feb. 9. LeBron has already had five 40-plus point scoring outbursts since turning 38 in December though, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get it done needing 36 points on Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
LeBron James NBA scoring record tracker
Abdul-Jabbar career points: 38,387
James career points: 38,352
Points to pass: 36
Recent scoring efforts by James
Dec. 30: 47 points in win over Hawks
Jan. 2: 43 points in win over Hornets
Jan. 6: 25 points in win over Hawks
Jan. 7: 37 points in win over Kings
Jan. 12: 24 points in loss to Mavericks
Jan. 15: 35 points in loss to 76ers
Jan. 16: 48 points in win over Rockets
Jan. 18: 32 points in loss to Kings
Jan. 20: 23 points in win over Grizzlies
Jan. 22: 37 points in win over Trail Blazers
Jan. 24: 46 points in loss to Clippers
Jan. 25: 20 points in win over Spurs
Jan. 28: 41 points in loss to Celtics
Jan. 31: 28 in win over Knicks
Feb. 2: 26 points in win over Pacers
Feb. 4: 27 points in loss to Pelicans
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