LeBron James Becomes NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer, Passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

DeMicia Inman
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LeBron James added a new record to his growing list of accolades. On Saturday (Feb. 12), the small forward passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s points record to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, reports Sports Illustrated.

Ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors game, James was 19 points away from passing the record. With a 3-point shot against the Warriors, the 37-year-old athlete brought his career point tally to 44,152.

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James accomplished this feat in the span of 1,616 games between the regular season and playoffs. This is nearly 200 fewer games than it took Abdul-Jabbar to set the record. Abdul-Jabbar still holds the top title for the NBA’s all-time regular-season scoring list, however, at 38,387 points. In second place is Karl Malone (36,928) followed by LeBron James (36,526).

LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks the ball in the first half against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on February 12, 2022 in San Francisco, California. - Credit: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks the ball in the first half against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on February 12, 2022 in San Francisco, California. - Credit: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

Although he broke the scoring record and ended the game with 26 points total, the Lakers still lost Saturday’s game against the Warriors. James discussed his accomplishment and how winning the game was his focus.

“It’s hard for me to speak on it now because I hate doing anything when it comes in a loss. And we had an opportunity to win a big game tonight. Been appreciative of the opportunity to play this game at the highest level,” he told ESPN. “I love the game of basketball. I love being a part of the NBA and being able to inspire so many different sets of generations. I guess it’s a pretty big deal.”

Off the court, James starred in a 30-second spot that aired during Super Bowl LVI on Sunday night (Feb. 13). The Crypto commercial featured the superstar athlete talking to his younger self from 2003 when he was still only a nationally-known high school basketball player. In the ad titled “The Moment of Truth,” a teenaged James, created by CGI technology, questioned his real-life self on life and basketball advice.

“I can’t tell you everything,” the older James explained to his younger self, “but if you want to make history, you’ve got to call your own shots.”

Check out the full commercial below.

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