LeBron James has become the NBA’s all-time points record holder, after surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s total of 38,387, 20 seasons on from his debut.
The points came on Tuesday night for the LA Lakers against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 130-133 defeat where he put up 38.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James becomes the NBA’s all-time points record holder after scoring 38 against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night; Abdul-Jabbar courtside to see his record surpassed; James needed 36 points to overhaul record
James scored 20 points in the first half with a full showcase of the offensive talent that still shines blindingly after two decades in the NBA, and he tore through the record in a 16-point third quarter capped by a pretty jumper with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter. He pushed his career total to 38,388 points and broke the record that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held for nearly four decades.
The game was stopped for around 10 minutes as members of James’ family, including his mother, his wife and their three children, took the floor for a ceremony recognizing the moment.
The 38-year-old had been nursing a sore ankle in the run-up to the game, an injury that he manages day to day, which makes the feat all the more impressive. True to his word, James played through the pain and pulled off a historic feat at the Crypto.com Arena.
