LOS ANGELES • LeBron James had spent all week paying tribute to former Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant. For Saturday night's clash against the Philadelphia 76ers, James even inscribed his sneakers with "Mamba 4 Life" and "8/24 KB" in gold marker, another mark of respect for Bryant.

James then stepped onto the Wells Fargo Centre court and created his own piece of legacy as he passed Bryant, 41, for third place on the National Basketball Association's (NBA) all-time scoring list.

With his Lakers trailing the hosts 74-52 with 7 1/2 minutes left in the third period, James worked off a screen, took a pass from Anthony Davis at the three-point line and drove across the lane for a lay-up and the historic points.

The basket put the 35-year-old James at 33,644 career points, one more than Bryant's 33,643. It took James 104 fewer games to reach Bryant's total.

During a timeout after the basket, the Philadelphia crowd - this was the Lakers' lone trip this season to the city where Bryant was born - gave James a standing ovation.

He finished the game with 29 points, leaving him at 33,655 for his career, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Lakers lost 108-91, dropping to 36-10 this term.

"I'm happy just to be in any conversation with Kobe Bryant," James said after the game. "One of the all-time greatest basketball players to ever play, one of the all-time greatest Lakers. The man got two jerseys hanging up in Staples Centre. It's just crazy."

After the game, James recalled meeting Bryant in Philadelphia during the 2002 NBA All-Star Weekend. Bryant gave James a special red, white and blue version of his signature sneakers. They were one size smaller than James' size-15 feet, but he still wore them in a high school matchup against Carmelo Anthony shortly thereafter.

"Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother #33644," Bryant tweeted.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar owns the all-time NBA record with 38,387 points, most of them in a Lakers uniform. Second on the list is Karl Malone, with 36,928 over 18 seasons with Utah and a final campaign with the Lakers in 2003-04.

James, a three-time NBA champion and four-time league Most Valuable Player, is in his 17th season and second with the Lakers. He spent 11 terms across two different stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, with a four-season run in Miami in between. He was named to his 16th straight All-Star Game last week.

Bryant spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers. He won five NBA titles as well as two gold medals alongside James on the 2008 and 2012 US Olympic teams.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE