Lakers' LeBron James passes Karl Malone for second place on NBA all-time scoring list

LeBron James' climb up the NBA's all-time scoring list continues, and now there's just one name above him.

James passed Karl Malone for second place in career points Saturday night during the Los Angeles Lakers' loss against the Washington Wizards. James entered the game with 36,909 points, 19 behind Malone, and he took care of the milestone early.

After scoring six points in the first quarter, James came out firing in the second. He scored the Lakers' first 15 points of the quarter to pass Malone. James hit a cutting layup on a feed from Stanley Johnson at the 5:20 mark to give him 36,929 points, one better than Malone.

"Just to be a part of this league for as many years as I've been a part of it and being linked to some of the greatest who've ever played this game, guys I've either watched or studied or read about or aspired to be like ... I'm just always lost for words for it," James said. "It's an honor for myself, for my hometown, for my family and my friends to be able to live these moments throughout this journey. And that's exactly who I do it for."

James appreciated the milestone but said it was tough to truly savor because of the Lakers' loss.

"Obviously at some point I'll be able to look back at this moment, but right now the feeling I have — I can't separate it," James said. "We had a great opportunity to pick up some more momentum."

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James finished the game with 38 points for 36,937 in his career and now trails only legendary center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time list. Abdul-Jabbar has been the NBA's scoring king since 1984 and finished his 20-year career with 38,387 points.

"I will not allow myself to think about it," James said of the possibility of passing Abdul-Jabbar. "I've always just played the game the way I've been playing it over the years, and these things have just happened organically by just going out and playing the game the right way. Hope to accomplish that at some point in my career, but I won't think about it too much."

Moments later, play was stopped for a foul on the Washington end of the court, and James' milestone was displayed on the video board at Capital One Arena. The crowd responded with a standing ovation that James acknowledged with a wave. Wizards guard and former Lakers teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope came over for a hug.

In his 19th season, James is averaging 29.8 points per game, tied for second in the league and the third-highest average of his career. He is just behind Joel Embiid (30.0) and even with Giannis Antetokounmpo (29.8) in the scoring race. At 37, James would be the oldest scoring champion in NBA history, passing Michael Jordan, who was 35 when he won the last of his record 10 scoring titles in 1998.

The season has been a struggle for James and the Lakers in the standings. Saturday's 127-119 loss dropped Los Angeles to 3-10 since the All-Star break. The Lakers have fallen to ninth place in the Western Conference at 30-41.

Despite those struggles, James has hit multiple career statistical milestones this season. He grabbed his 10,000th career rebound in January and handed out his 10,000th assist last Sunday.

James is the only player in NBA history with over 30,000 career points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron James passes Karl Malone for second on NBA scoring list