Through nearly 23 years in the NBA, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has seemingly every accolade possible. However, another box remained unchecked as leading up to this week, he was second in field goals made behind another Lakers legend in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
James, of course, surpassed Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time scoring leader in 2023. And leading up to L.A.’s game against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, the 41-year-old put himself in a position to pass the legendary big man once again by only needing three made field goals.
Similarly to how he became the scoring leader, James made a fadeaway turnaround jumper to pass Abdul-Jabbar. For a player who has not viewed scoring as a primary skill, he is now leading these impressive scoring accomplishments despite all the legends that have played in the NBA.
A teammate of Abdul-Jabbar’s, Magic Johnson, took to social media to congratulate the current Lakers star for adding another milestone to his already lengthy list of accolades:
I want to congratulate Lakers legend and superstar LeBron James on becoming the all-time leader for field goals made in NBA history – passing my Showtime Lakers teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) March 6, 2026
An unfortunate reality whenever James makes history is that Los Angeles tends to cap it off with a los. That was the case in 2023 and was repeated in 2026 with a loss to Denver in a tightly contested game.
The four-time champion is showing no signs of slowing down when his age gives him every reason to. While his immediate future in L.A. remains in question, seeing James break several records in a Lakers jersey should mean something, seemingly adding extra weight. Then, having a legend in Johnson speak out to congratulate a special accomplishment feels like a separate accolade.
Presumably, this will not be his last record-breaking night for James, but for a player to do what he is doing at this stage in his respective career is nothing short of impressive.
Nikola Jokic gives ‘legendary’ LeBron James his flowers
Over the past three or four years, the Lakers and Nuggets have had their fair share of battles. While both teams appear to have a disdain for one another, Nikola Jokic is a class act as he just wants to play basketball and win.
Dating back to All-Star Weekend, Jokic spoke highly of LeBron James, particularly what he has done in his 23rd season. After witnessing James break history against his team, he continued to give the Lakers star his flowers.
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