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LeBron James has become the NBA’s all-time leading points scorer, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 34-year record amid a stunning performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Los Angeles.
Fans shelled out thousands to secure a seat at Crypto.com arena to witness history, and James didn’t make them wait – putting on a show to seal the record, while Abdul-Jabbar watched on from courtside.
James went into the game against OKC needing 36 points to overtake the record of 38,387 – which was set by Abdul-Jabbar in 1989.
The King claimed the record with 10.9 seconds remaining in the third quarter with a trademark fadeaway dagger. He finished with 38 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
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.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has become the NBA’s all-time leading points scorer
LeBron’s incredible 20-year career has led to him overtaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was in attendance in Los Angeles to watch his record being broken
The game between the Lakers and OKC – which the Thunder ultimately won 133-130 – was stopped in order to recognize the moment.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver grabbed a microphone, as social media ran wild, to honor James alongside Abdul-Jabbar, who gifted James the ceremonial basketball.
James came into Tuesday’s game averaging 30 points, with his performance sure to be a huge disappointment to those who shelled out up to $100,000 a ticket to secure a seat for Thursday’s game against Milwaukee.
Celebrities, companies and seemingly millions paid tribute to James, who was visibly emotional while celebrating with family and particularly before and during the ceremony with Silver and Abdul-Jabbar.
NBA legends and active players all offered congratulations to King James for his achievement
‘LeBron, you are the NBA’s all-time scoring leader. Congratulations!’ Silver said as chants of MVP followed.
‘I just want to say thank you to the Laker faithful, you guys are one of a kind,’ James said.
‘To be in the presence of such a legend and great as Kareem it means so much to me, it’s very humbling. Please give a standing ovation to the captain, please.’
‘To my beautiful wife, my daughter, my two boys, my friends, my boys, my family, my mother. Man, everybody that’s been a part of this run with me these last 20+ years. I just wanna say thank you so much because I wouldn’t be me without y’all.
James celebrated the achievement with his sons Bronny (L) and Bryce (R) on Tuesday night
James now sits alone atop the NBA’s scoring list, adding another item to his growing legend
‘All y’all help, all y’all passion, all y’all sacrifice has helped me get to this point. And to the NBA, to Adam Silver, to the late, great David Stern, I thank you guys so much for allowing me to be a part of something I’ve always dreamed about.
‘I would never, ever in a million years dreamt this any better than what it is tonight. F*** man, thank you guys,’ he ended.
The likes of Rihanna, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Snopp Dogg, as well as basketball legends, Stephen Curry and Shaquille O’Neal paid tribute to James for achieving the feat in a series of video messages.
Speaking postgame to the TNT broadcast, James revealed his gratitude on the night while admitting there will likely be years to come.
‘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.’
NBA commissioner Adam Silver congratulated James alongside former holder Abdul-Jabbar
‘I thought it had every chance of being broken, you just had to have someone the offense focused on continually.’
When asked what advice he would give to James, Abdul-Jabbar said; ‘I think you should talk to LeBron about that, how he feels about trying to extend his career.
‘He’s going to extend this record even further, it’ll be interesting to see how far it goes.’
‘Listen, what LeBron has done off the court is more important than what he’s done on the court. He’s sent kids to school, he’s provided leadership and example of how to live.’
Once upon a time, James and Abdul-Jabbar famously had a rocky relationship over the years, with their feud bubbling over during the Covid-19 pandemic, and amid James supporting players who had opted out of receiving the vaccine.
After James’ comments, Abdul-Jabbar said he was ‘plain wrong… and his being wrong could be deadly, especially to the Black community.’
James lofted his hands high into the air as his teammates celebrated before mobbing The King
He was visibly emotional and cried after achieving the historic and once unthinkable feat
Kareem also hit out at LeBron’s social stances in an interview with ESPN last year, in which he said: ‘Some of the things he’s done and said are really beneath him, as far as I can see.
‘Some of the great things that he’s done, he’s standing on both sides of the fence almost, you know?
‘It makes it hard for me to accept that when he’s committed himself to a different take on everything. It’s hard to figure out where he’s standing. You’ve got to check him out every time.’
That led to a social media apology from the now-75-year-old, who said he regretted his ‘off-handed response’ to the reporter.
The King thanked his family, friends and the Lakers fanbase for the everlasting support
At the Lakers, James has won his fourth NBA championships and now has broken the record
James’ record-breaking career began 20 years ago in 2003, when he was drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He was named the 2004 Rookie of the Year, and then went on to win MVP awards in 2009 and 2010 during a seven-season stint with the Cavs.
In 2010, he left as a free agent with the team having failed to compete for a championship, and he announced his move to the Miami Heat in a TV special titled ‘The Decision’ – one of the most controversial free agent moves in NBA history.
It was in Miami that he won his first NBA championship, in 2012 and then again in 2013. In both of those seasons, he also picked up the MVP and Finals MVP awards.
James poses with his famous family amid the stoppage during the third quarter of the OKC win
In 2014, he re-signed with the Cavaliers and in 2016 led the team to an historic NBA Finals win over the Golden State Warriors, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to end the ‘Cleveland Curse’ which had seen the city’s sports teams fail to win a title in 52 years.
LeBron left the Cavs for a second time in 2018, exercising his contract option to join the Los Angeles Lakers, where he remains to this day.
In 2020, he won his fourth NBA championship in a Covid-decimated season, and has also become the first player in NBA history to accumulate $1billion in earnings as an active player.
LeBron started his career at Cleveland (left) before winning in Miami before returning again
James poses with his wife Savannah last year at a premiere for the Netflix movie ‘Hustle’
