NBA All-Time Leading Scorer
Last Tuesday, February 7, 2023 (Wednesday, February 8 in the Philippines), we witnessed the breaking of 39-year old NBA All-time Leading Scorer record of “The Captain” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar when LeBron James hits the fadeaway jumper.
I was watching at home thru NBA League Pass when James broke the record. I swear, I do not watch LA Lakers games since Kobe Bryant (RIP) retired from basketball. I just can’t skip the game because it was historic and a magnificent milestone for a player.
The record was initially held by the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for 39 years and no one imagined that the record will be broken because for a player to beat that, you must be a scoring machine with a good body condition. It so happened that James have both.
The Ceremony
The game stopped for 10 minutes after LeBron James made the jumper. This to celebrate the milestone and officially announce the breaking of the record.
It was personally witnessed by the then record holder Abdul-Jabbar while watching at the sideline together with some known personalities.
The ceremony was short and sweet. It was led by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. When he announced the breaking of the scoring record, Abdul Jabbar passed the ball to James, who emotionally received the ball from “The Captain”, showing that James is now the record holder.
The Legacy
In the past two decades, we can say that LeBron James is the face of the NBA. When he entered the league in 2003 as No. 1 overall pick, he was predicted to break a lot of records in the NBA. He was also called as the “The Chosen One” because of God-given talent – size and athletic ability – a 6’9″ guy with a guard-like speed and high leaping ability. True enough, after 20 years, he was able to break the all-time score. An accomplishment that most players cannot beat.
There is no doubt when James ends his career, he will be considered as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
The GOAT (Greatest of all time) debate
I will admit that I am a “Jordan guy” because I was inspired to play because of Michael Jordan and Vergel Meneses. I was one of the million young fellas “who wants to be like Mike”. I was thrilled when I watched The Last Dance. But it does not blind me to not appreciate the greatness of LeBron James.
The GOAT debate is really tricky because it depends on how an individual look at the player according to their accomplishments. At the same time, it is difficult to compare eras. We did not see the match up between James and Jordan, or James against Abdul-Jabbar or James versus Bill Russell (the 11-time champ). It’s hard isn’t it?
One thing is sure. I am lucky to witness one of the greatest milestones for a basketball player and LeBron James deserved the appreciation, love and respect.
Hail The King, LeBron James, the NBA all-time leading scorer!
Did you know?
On the 7th of February:
* The 38th day of the year, LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA All-time Leading Scorer.
* LeBron James scored 38 points in the Lakers-Thunders game.
* LeBron James tallied 38,388 total points.
* LeBron James was born 38 weeks after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the NBA All-time Leading Scorer.
* From the date Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the all-time leading scorer to the date LeBron James broke the record, it was a span of 38 years and 308 days.
I don’t know if it is true. I just saw it in Twitter. LOL.
