LeBron James Becomes NBA's All-Time Leading Scorer, Passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
LeBron James NBA's New All-time Leading Scorer ... Passes Kareem
LeBron James is officially the NBA's all-time leading scorer ... the Lakers superstar passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most points logged in league history on Tuesday night.
James accomplished the feat against the Oklahoma City Thunder ... in front of a Crypto.com Arena crowd that featured a slew of celebs and former athletes -- including Abdul-Jabbar himself.
Jay-Z, Floyd Mayweather, Dwyane Wade, Shannon Sharpe, Usher and Bad Bunny were all there too.
Jay-Z is ready to watch Bron make history 🍷 pic.twitter.com/IJd4yYPlMh
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 8, 2023 @NBAonTNT
LBJ needed 36 points to pass Kareem heading into the game ... and after scoring 20 in the first half, he got the rest in the third quarter.
HISTORY.
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 8, 2023 @NBAonTNT
With this bucket, LeBron James moves past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer! pic.twitter.com/N6V5RxPe6r
A fadeaway jumper earned him the record -- and the game was stopped so James could be honored. During the break, James was swarmed by his family members and friends -- as a hype video for James played on the arena's jumbotron.
Commissioner Adam Silver also spoke at center court following the record-breaking basket ... telling LeBron, "You are the NBA's all-time scoring leader. Congratulations." Abdul-Jabbar then passed a basketball to the future Hall of Famer, and gave him a hug.
Kareem 🤝 LeBron
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 8, 2023 @NBAonTNT
What a moment pic.twitter.com/oJy1Len9UM
James wiped away tears, before he took the mic and thanked the crowd in attendance. He finished his thank you speech by saying, "F***, man!"
The record is a monumental one -- after Kareem set it in 1984 ... many believed it would never be touched again. But James got the 38,388 that he needed in the 1,410th game of his career -- accomplishing the feat in 150 games less than KAJ did.
James was as consistent as one could possibly be in his chase for the record -- never averaging less than 20.9 points per game in a season. In fact, in his 20th NBA season this year, the 38-year-old is averaging 30 points per game.
Congrats on the mark, LBJ!!