
LeBron James continues to break records at the age of 37. The King surpassed Karl Malone on the All-time scoring list after he scored 38 against the Washington Wizards today. It isn’t surprising that LeBron accomplished the feat though. He was just 20 points away from passing up Malone coming into this game. LeBron is currently on pace to catch Kareem Abdul Jabbar next season. He is just 1440 points away from tying with Jabbar.
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— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 20, 2022
LeBron is rarely considered a great scorer but that is a part of his greatness. LeBron does so many things on the court at such a high level that his scoring has become underrated despite being second all-time. A lot of people argue that the only reason LeBron has so many points is because of his longevity. Well, Karl Malone played 19 years and Kareem Abdul Jabbar played 20 years. We don’t hear longevity criticisms about them though.
To come into the NBA with the pressure that was surrounding him and still overachieve with his performances is just amazing. At the age of 17, he was on the cover of sports illustrated and was anointed the Chosen One. LeBron James is the only player with 10k+ points,10k+ assists, and 10k+ rebounds in NBA history.
In his post-game press conference, LeBron was asked how he felt about the accomplishment. LeBron said that it was an honour. Not just to have passed up and be linked to the players he admired and whose games he studied but also to be a part of this league for as long as he has and achieve the level of greatness that he has accomplished. He said he goes out there for his family, his friends, and his hometown and to make them proud of him.
LeBron James shares his thoughts on moving to number 2 on the all-time leading scorers list. pic.twitter.com/elvbDLoX18
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 20, 2022
He was also asked about whether he thought about passing up Malone in Cleveland where the Lakers play in 2 days. LeBron said that as soon as he felt good after his pregame treatment, he was ready to play. Sitting out was not an option and the thought did not even cross his mind. He also said that while it was great to make history, he still regretted that the Lakers could not win today.