After the Los Angeles Lakers secured Thursday’s 112-111 road victory against the Indiana Pacers, LeBron James is now 63 points away from breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record.
James, who scored 26 points on Thursday, has been upholding his season average of 30 points-per-game at a steady pace in order to pass Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
The Lakers’ next home game is on Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and has moved to a 7 p.m. PT national television spot on TNT as James nears making history. According to Reuters, Abdul-Jabbar will be in attendance for the next games at Crypto.Com Arena to witness his record being broken:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be in the stands for two Lakers home games in which LeBron James is likely to surpass him and become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, a source close to the Lakers great told Reuters on Thursday.
Having one of the most accomplished professional athletes in the arena to witness another high-achieving pro athlete will be a special thing to witness. The moment shared between the two all-time greats will also be unique as Abdul-Jabbar will watch James make history playing for his former team.
The 19-time NBA All-Star shared his thoughts on James becoming the league’s all-time leading scorer to CNN’s Don Lemon. In a quote that was read live on television, Abdul-Jabbar tips his hat off to the 38-year-old cementing his legacy:
“I’ve been carrying the torch as record holder for 38 years. I’m excited and relieved to pass it along to the next worthy recipient. LeBron earned it and I hope he carries it even longer than I did.”
While James will always be in debate for the greatest player of all-time, the longevity the King has displayed has become his trademark for whenever the four-time NBA champion retires.
Abdul-Jabbar was also known for his longevity, which the two obviously share in common and has led to them being the two top scorers in league history.
LeBron James does not feel added pressure as he approaches scoring record
Even in his 20th season, James is continuing to perform at an extremely high level as the 38-year-old is averaging more than 30 points per game.
In a season where he and the Lakers are looking to find some winning consistency to make the playoffs, James has had a historic season breaking records with the big one obviously still on the horizon
As James approaches Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record, he stated that he does not feel any added pressure as it nears.
Like any great player, James lets the game come to him. And it makes sense that he doesn’t feel added pressure considering it’s only a matter of when, not if he’ll break the record.
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