Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James elevated to some rarified air on Sunday night. With his point production in L.A.'s 113-112 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, James became just the second player in NBA history to score 38,000 career points. The only other player ever to do so is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the league's all-time leading scorer.
Heading into the game against Philadelphia, James needed 11 points to reach 38,000 and it didn't take him too long to do so. He reached the mark on a jump shot midway through the first quarter. Check out the bucket below:
HISTORY MADE 👑
— NBA (@NBA) January 16, 2023
LeBron James becomes only the second player in NBA history to score 38,000 career points. pic.twitter.com/uqLckZ9LY0
James finished the game with 35 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, but ultimately his production wasn't quite enough to propel the Lakers to a win.
James is now less than 400 points away from passing Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer -- an incredible feat for anyone, let alone a guy who has always considered himself to be a pass-first player. Barring any major injury issues, James will pass the legendary Lakers center later this season. He discussed the impending accomplishment at the start of the season.
"To sit here and to know that I'm on the verge of breaking probably the most sought-after record in the NBA, things that people said would probably never be done, I think it's just super humbling for myself," James said at media day. "I think it's super cool. Obviously, Kareem has had his differences with some of my views and some of the things that I do.
"But at the end of the day, to be able to be in the same breath as a guy that wore this same uniform, a guy that was a staple of this franchise, along with Magic [Johnson], Big Game [James Worthy] over there for so many years, especially in the '80s, and a guy that does a lot off the floor as well, I think is just super-duper dope, for myself to even be in that conversation."
James and Abdul-Jabbar don't have a close relationship, but they will now be forever linked in the history books as the first two players ever to score 38,000 points and the two most prolific point producers that the league has ever seen.
