In a career milestone, LeBron James has surpassed NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most regular season points scored.
After 20 seasons and 38,352 career points, James entered Tuesday’s home clash against Oklahoma City Thunder just 36 points away from history.
The 38-year-old Lakers superstar broke the career record with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter when he produced his 36th point on a fadeaway jumper at Crypto.com Arena.
Abdul-Jabbar, 75, who was in attendance to witness James surpass his scoring record, handed James the basketball.
“I just want to say thank you to the Laker faithful. You guys are one of a kind,” James said to the Los Angeles crowd.
“Everybody that’s ever been a part of this run with me the last … 20-plus years, I just want to say I thank you so much because I wouldn’t be me without y’all,” he added.
James listed the five players he believes are most likely to beat his record: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and Kyrie Irving. The odds for those stars range from virtually impossible to highly unlikely.
In a 133-130 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, James was the highest scorer of the game with 38 points and seven rebounds.
Russell Westbrook came off the bench to score 27 points for the Lakers.
For the winning side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander racked up 30 points, while Jalen Williams finished with 25 points and seven rebounds.
The LA Lakers are in the number 13 spot in the Western Conference with 25-30, while the Thunder are 11th with a 26-28 record.
Tuesday’s results:
Orlando Magic – New York Knicks: 98-102
Brooklyn Nets – Phoenix Suns: 112-116
New Orleans Pelicans – Atlanta Hawks: 116-107
Memphis Grizzlies – Chicago Bulls: 104-89
Denver Nuggets – Minnesota Timberwolves: 146-112
Los Angeles Lakers – Oklahoma City Thunder: 130-133
