Image via NBA
LeBron James has surpassed Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s -long-standing record to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
James, a player of the Los Angeles Lakers, scored 38 points in a 133-130 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder to break Kareem Abdul Jabbars’s 1989 record of 38,387 points.
Eight months before James was born, in April 1984, Abdul-Jabbar first broke the scoring mark.
“To be able to be in the presence of a legend and great as Kareem, it means so much to me,” said James.
At the conclusion of the third quarter, the 38-year-old, who needed 36 points to break the record, accomplished it with a fadeaway jumper, giving him a career total of 38,390 points.
While Abdul-Jabbar, who was present for the game at the Lakers’ home court and is 75 years old, stood and cheered, James, who was visibly emotional, raised both arms in excitement.
Play was briefly stopped for a ceremony to celebrate the victory, during which James spoke on court using a microphone.
“Everybody that has ever been a part of this run with me the last 20-plus years, I want to say thank you so much because I wouldn’t be me without all you. You all helped. Your passion and sacrifices helped me to get to this point,” he said.
“And to the NBA to Adam Silver, to the late great David Stern, thank you very much for allowing me to be a part of something I always dreamed about. I would never in a million years dreamt this to be even better than what it is tonight.”