LeBron James continues to rewrite the NBA record books. The Los Angeles Lakers star has added a new milestone to his impressive career. James, who already holds the title of all-time leading scorer in the league’s history, now also leads in the category of baskets scored. The player scored the 15,838th basket of his career, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, during Thursday’s game against the Denver Nuggets. The shot, a jump shot over the Nuggets’ Zeke Nnaji, came with 12.3 seconds left in the first quarter of the game.
James commented that this jump shot is something he has perfected throughout his career, especially after some difficulties in the 2011 NBA Finals. On February 7, 2023, James had already surpassed Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s all-time leading scorer. In the game against the Nuggets, James finished with 16 points, shooting 7 of 11 from the field. Lakers coach JJ Redick compared James’ career to the evolution of Bruce Springsteen, highlighting the consistency and accumulation of achievements over the years. This season, James also surpassed Michael Cooper on the Lakers’ all-time assists list and joined Kobe Bryant as the only Lakers player with 1,000 three-pointers. The next major statistical milestone for James is Robert Parish’s record of 1,611 games played. James currently ranks second with 1,606 games and could surpass Parish on March 16 against the Houston Rockets if he plays all scheduled games up to that date. Regarding his basket achievement, James expressed that it is an important milestone, but it was never his main goal. His focus has always been to reach the top and be considered the best player in the world.Being in the conversation with the greatest who have played this sport has always been something humbling and great. I grew up watching, reading, and admiring many of the greats, and if I could ever be part of the NBA, I wanted to put myself in a position where I could be named with some of the greats doing something right. It’s very good.
LeBron James
