LeBron James is inching closer to one of the most revered records in all of sports, even though it came in a crushing defeat.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar, 37, became the second-leading scorer in NBA history on Saturday, March 19, 2022, at the 5:20 mark in the second quarter of the game against the Washington Wizards. He surpassed Karl Malone, who scored 36,928 points during his Hall of Fame career with the Utah Jazz (the last of Malone’s 19 seasons was with the Lakers).
LeBron James moves into second place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
He has his eyes on that top spot 😤 pic.twitter.com/gR5vQBQNgr
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 20, 2022
James finished the game with 38 points, 10 rebounds and six assists to power the Lakers. But the major milestone and all-around exploits were insufficient to stave off a loss to the hapless Wizards, 127-119. The bittersweet night for James was made worse when the Lakers squandered a 16-point lead going into the fourth quarter and fizzled down the stretch yet again.
James, who is playing remarkably well for a man of his age and averaging almost 30 points a game, can in 2023 move past the incomparable Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time leading scorer if James maintains this high scoring average, according to ESPN.
“Just to be part of this league the many years I’ve been a part of it and being linked to some of the greatest who’ve ever played this game and guys I’ve ever 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 friends to be able to live these moments throughout this journey. And that’s exactly who I do it for.”
King James now stands as 36,947 points scored. Abdul-Jabbar holds the all-time record of 38,387.
