WITH two points left to overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA all time record of 38,387 points, Lebron James turned around and made a fade away shot to make history in Los Angeles, Wednesday morning (Manila time).
It took almost 40 years to break the record, and it shows how great this day was. Former record holder Abdul-Jabbar was at court-side for this game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma Thunder.
Kareem passes the ball to Lebron
After James made the record-breaking shot, the game temporarily gave way to a short ceremony. Previous record holder Abdul-Jabbar went up to James along with NBA commissioner Adam Silver in the middle of the court to hand a signed basketball from the hall of fame center, marking the occasion.
The former basketball prodigy from Akron, Ohio, was only 19 years old when he entered the NBA. He was drafted as the number one pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003.
What a career it has been
This is his 20th season in the league, and he has averaged 27.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.3 assists a game. He is now 38 years old and has been in 18 All-Star games. He has won the Rookie of the Year award, 4 MVP awards, 4 Finals MVP awards and 4 NBA championships.
James is currently number 4 in the assists record with 10,351.
In a losing effort
His record-breaking performance couldn’t get the Los Angeles Lakers over the hump, though, against the visiting Oklahoma Thunder.
The Thunder won over the Lakers, 133-130, behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 30 points. The Thunder had a big second quarter and did enough to stave off a Lakers comeback who were propelled by an energized home crowd.
James led all scorers with 38 points, while Russel Westbrook, who is shrouded with trade rumors before deadline day, added 27 points for the Lakers.
The Lakeshow welcomes Abdul-Jabbar’s former team, the Milwaukee Bucks next, as the new scoring champ tries to get the Lakers back to winning ways and give them a chance to get back to the playoffs this season.
