NBA: James aims for ‘a couple more years’ after breaking NBA all-time scoring record

LOS ANGELES – Hailed as the “Chosen One” while still in high school, LeBron James always appeared destined to become the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) all-time leading scorer and claim a record he once believed would never be touched.

That seemingly inevitable moment arrived on Tuesday night.

Almost 20 years after recording his first two points on Oct 29, 2003, James floated a fadeaway jumper late in the third quarter in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 133-130 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387 and putting his name into the history books.

For almost four decades, fellow Lakers great Abdul-Jabbar had owned the mark and watched from the sidelines as James climbed the scoring table.

The 75-year-old was there in an electric Crypto.com arena on Tuesday to witness “King James” finally reach the summit.

James, 38, entered the game needing 36 points to break the record. He finished with 38 for a total of 38,390 in the regular season and eclipsed Abdul-Jabbar’s mark which had stood since 1984.

The sold-out home crowd was sent into a frenzy when the ball splashed through the net, and James extended his arms out like he was flying as he jogged back towards the other basket.

Then he raised them up and looked up into the stands at the thousands of people who had come to see him make history.

Play was stopped to recognise the achievement and to let James address the crowd.

He paused for a second, bent over and rested his hands on his knees and smiled as his family and friends jumped out of their seats in celebration and joined him on the court. He had tears in his eyes.

“I just want to say thank you to the Laker faithful, you guys are one of a kind,” said James, who took 1,410 games to break the mark, 150 fewer than Abdul-Jabbar.

“To be able to be in the presence of such a legend as Kareem is unbelievable, it’s very humbling. Please give a standing ovation to ‘The Captain’.”

James later said that he expected to extend his NBA career by at least two more years as he basked in the “surreal” feat.

The only question now is how much he will increase his record tally before he finally calls time on his career.

“I know I can play a couple more years,” James told TNT television. “The way I’m feeling, the way my body’s been reacting to me through this season.

“I know I can play a couple more years – it’s all about my mind. If my mind is still into it, if I’m still motivated to go out and try to compete for championships, I feel like I can still do that.

“If my mind is sharp and I feel motivated to prepare myself every single day, then I can continue to play this game.”

James also admitted he was still struggling to come to terms with finally breaking Abdul-Jabbar’s longstanding record.

“It’s so surreal,” he said. “Because it’s something I never made a goal of mine or set out to do, so I’m just happy.

“Longevity, being able to be out on the floor for three multiple franchises, trying to be the greatest I can be every single night, and having great teammates and coaches who allowed me to be me.

“I don’t know if it’s hit me. It hit me a little bit on the floor with my family after it happened. But it hasn’t quite sunk in yet.

“To be able to play at this level 20 years in, to be at the apex of my game, it’s a pretty surreal feeling. Hopefully, I can continue it but, at the end of the day, it’s just been a pleasure to be in this league for 20 years.”

Abdul-Jabbar, meanwhile, praised James and said that surpassing the record was a testament to the latter’s mastery. He was seated courtside to witness the moment and rose to his feet immediately and applauded when James sank his record-setting jumper.

“LeBron’s career is one of someone who planned to dominate this game,” Abdul-Jabbar said.

“He got out of high school. He had the size and the talent to step right into the NBA and he immediately started to have his effect. And it has gone on for almost 20 years now.

“So I think that you have to give him credit for the way he planned to last and to dominate.”

More than James’ ability to score from anywhere on the court, it is the four-time NBA champion’s ability to lift his teammates that makes him special, Abdul-Jabbar added.

“He led teams to world championships. They didn’t get there because of someone else and LeBron tagged along. LeBron led them,” he said.

“He has that indefinable essence that they call leadership. He gets out there on the court and tries to get things done and guys get behind him because they have that much respect for him and his talent.”

James has averaged 27.2 points per game in his career while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-10, 2014-18), Miami Heat (2010-14) and the Lakers (2018-present).

Not counted in his regular-season record total are his 7,631 play-off points, also the most by a player in NBA history. He has played in 266 career post-season games.

In an example of just how consistent of a scorer James has been, he also extended his record streak of double-digit scoring games to 1,140.

REUTERS, AFP, NYTIMES