Lebron James has revealed that it’s not the time to slow down and get complacent after record breaking basket career points by a single player in the NBA.
On Tuesday, the 38-year-old, who is a four-time NBA champion drilled a historical 14-foot fadeaway jumper with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder to sit alone at the top of the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
The legend has now broken Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA career total of 38,387 points, a record that has stood since 1984 and which reflects super-human levels of brilliance, consistency and durability rolled into one.
He broke that record and in the eyes of many established himself once and for all as the greatest basketball player who has ever played the game.
The King claimed the record with 10.9 seconds remaining in the third quarter with a trademark fadeaway dagger. Lebron James finished with 38 points, seven rebounds and three assists in a 133-130 defeat.
Following the record-breaking shot, James walked away with his hands high in the air before he was mobbed by teammates and eventually his sons, Bronny and Bryce, along with wife, Savannah.
It was a moment in time that every single basketball fan in the world wanted to capture.
MVP chants from the crowd followed the moment before highlights of James’ 20-year career were shown on the arena’s videoboard.
As the youngest player in league history to score each one-thousand-point milestone from 1,000 to 38,000, James, who is averaging 30.0 points this season, is also the oldest player to ever average 30 points per game.
The game between the Lakers and OKC was stopped in order to recognize the record breaking moment.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver grabbed a microphone, as social media ran wild, to honor Lebron James alongside Abdul-Jabbar, who gifted him the ceremonial basketball.
“It’s so surreal because it’s something I never made a goal of mine or set out to do,” He said.
“I know I can play a couple more years, the way I’m feeling, the way my body’s been reacting to me throughout this course of the season, I know I can play a couple more years.”
“I feel like for any group of guys, for any franchise, I can go out there and still help win multiple championships or win a championship, so that’s my mindset.”
Asked if he was the GOAT by Shaquille O’Neal, James tried to humbly deflect before admitting: “I’m going to take myself against anybody that’s ever played this game.”
“I always feel like I’m the best to ever play this game but there’s so many other great ones and I’m just happy to be a part of their journey.”
Abdul-Jabbar also spoke to the broadcast following his move to second on the all-time scoring list.
“LeBron’s career was one of someone who planned to dominate this game… and it’s gone for almost 20 years now. You’ve got to give him credit for just the way that he planned to last and dominate,’ he said.
“He has that indefinable essence that they call leadership, he said of Lebron James.”
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