LOS ANGELES (WCMH) — A seemingly unbreakable basketball record that has stood for nearly 40 years has been broken by an Akron, Ohio native.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in regular season play after posting 38 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. James’ performance got him up to 38,390 career points to pass hall of fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record back in 1984.
The 38-year-old from Akron, who needed 36 points to pass Abdul-Jabbar, broke the mark in his 1,409th career regular season game, 150 games less than what it took Abdul-Jabbar to reach his 38,387 career points. Besides being the all-time leading scorer, James is also the only NBA player to reach at least 10,000 points, rebounds, and assists in his career.
NBA All-Time scoring leaders
| Player | Total Points |
|---|---|
| LeBron James (2003-Present) | 38,390 (18.5 seasons) |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-1989) | 38,387 (20 seasons) |
| Karl Malone (1985-2004) | 36,928 (19 seasons) |
| Kobe Bryant (1996-2016) | 33,643 (20 seasons) |
| Michael Jordan (1984-1993, 1995-1998, 2001-2003) | 32,292 (15 seasons) |
| Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2019) | 31,560 (21 seasons) |
| Wilt Chamberlain (1959-1973) | 31,419 (15 seasons) |
| Shaquille O’Neal (1992-2011) | 28,596 (20 seasons) |
| Carmelo Anthony (2003-Present) | 28,289 (20 seasons) |
| Moses Malone (1976-1995) | 27,409 (20 seasons) |
Since James was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003 out of St. Vincent/St. Mary’s high school, he has won four NBA Finals, won four NBA MVPs and Finals MVPs, has been named an All-Star 19 times, made all-NBA first team 13 times, won two Olympic gold medals with the USA, was named to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team last year, and is now the top scorer in the league’s history.
He will also certainly become the first NBA player to reach 40,000 career points, a feat he is likely to accomplish this season.
James will be off to Utah soon to play in his 19th NBA All-Star Game and sixth straight as a captain. Following the break, he will look to rally the Lakers towards an NBA Playoff berth as Los Angeles sits two games outside the top-eight in the Western Conference.
The Lakers lost to the visiting Thunder 133-130.
