LeBron James is currently the second-highest scorer in NBA history, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, after overtaking Karl Malone in March 2022.
He scored his 38,000th and 38,001st career points against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, marking another scoring milestone. He made the jumper from the top of the key.
As a result, only James and Abdul-Jabbar have surpassed the 38,000-point threshold.
Less than 400 points separate LeBron James from overtaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, an incredible feat for any player, much less one who has long regarded himself as a pass-first player.
Later this season, if no serious injuries arise, James will pass the storied Lakers center. At the beginning of the season, he spoke about the upcoming success.
According to Fox Sports announcer Nick Wright on Twitter, James maintained the astounding distinction of being the youngest player to achieve every career-scoring milestone from 21,000 to 38,000 points while surpassing the current milestone on Sunday.
He commented on his performance, saying:
“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. 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.”
