Heading Wednesday’s matchup with Denver Nuggets, LeBron James was just 13 points away from passing Michael Jordan for fourth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
And with 5:38 remaining in the second quarter, James passed Jordan on a driving layup and also completed the three-point play.
While the Lakers made a late run led by Alex Caruso and Johnathan Williams, they ultimately lost to the Nuggets, 115-99.
Although James’ historic night could have come under better circumstances, he was emotional when discussing his latest individual accomplishment. “There’s a lot of stuff I’ve done in my career. This ranks right up there at the top.
“For a kid from Akron, Ohio, that needed inspiration and some type of positive influence, MJ was that guy for me. I watched him from afar, wanted to be like MJ, wanted to shoot fadeaways like MJ, stick my tongue out on dunks like MJ, wanted to wear my sneakers like MJ.
“I wanted kids to look up to me at some point like MJ. It’s crazy, to be honest. It’s beyond crazy.”
At 32,311 career points, James is now chasing Kobe Bryant for third on the all-time scoring list. If the 34-year-old continues his career average of 27.1 points per game and stays relatively healthy, it should happen by the midway point of the 2019-20 NBA season at the very latest.
While many have tried, James also has a legitimate chance to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leader by the time he retires. Considering that James personally views himself as a pass-first player, it is quite an accomplishment to be in the top-10 in both points and assists.
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