With just a little over 12 seconds left in the first quarter, LeBron James hit a turnaround baseline jump shot over Zeke Nnaji to score his 3rd field goal of the game and 15,838th of his career. Surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most made field goals in NBA History.
A True Prodigy
Even though the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets 113-120, James was able to find pride in his new achievement.
“I grew up watching, reading, idolizing a lot of the greats, and if I ever was able to be part of the NBA, I wanted to put myself in position that I can be named with some of the greats by doing something right. So it’s pretty cool,”
Feb 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Former Los Angeles Lakers player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hands the game ball to forward LeBron James (6) after James becomes the NBA all time scoring leader against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
James’ career in the organization has been awe-inspiring. This past February 7th marked three years since he broke Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time league scoring record pushing it to 38,388 points.Since then he has extended the total points to over 43,000.Since being dubbed the “Chosen One”, James has soared past all expectations and cemented himself among basketball’s greats.
Entering the league out of high school in 2003, his rise up the ranks matched that of Kareem. Becoming the youngest player to be selected first overall at 18 years and 178 days old.
James would soon attain the achievements as the youngest player to score 30 points in a game and reach 10K, 20K, and 30K career points.
After he went on to be the youngest player to win ROTY, he eventually was given the title as the youngest player selected for the All-NBA team.
Undeniable Legacy
In the latter part of James’ career, he has slowed down but refuses to stop. Sitting at 8,289 playoff points (and counting), he owns the playoff scoring record passing Michael Jordan by 2,302 points.
On April 29th, 2018 James surpassed Scottie Pippen for the most playoff steals (396) with a rip against Darren Collision on the Indiana Pacers.
With 1,606 games on his record, Lebron is six games away from passing Robert Parish for most games played. He also holds the records for most minutes (292), field goal attempts(5,984), and field goals made (2,971).
End Of My Rant On LeBron James
Leading both in consecutive All-Star selections with 22 and playoff victories with 184, at 41 years and 44 days old James has become the oldest player to get a triple-double, passing Karl Malone.
Truly a once in a lifetime player, James has changed basketball in ways no one could’ve imagined. Playing against Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Steph Curry in the same lifetime while still influencing the newer generation is a monumental feat.
There is not doubt his 23 NBA seasons will highlight his dominating an unmatched career for years to come.
