Last night, the world tuned in to see LeBron James break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all time scoring record. Needing 36 points going into the game, people were wondering whether he’d be able to set the record last night against OKC.
As he approached the number, the stadium filled with nervous energy. LeBron was asked in an interview earlier this week with ESPN how he’d like to break the record. He answered: “I know what I don’t want it to be: a free throw.”
And a free throw it wasn’t. With 10 seconds left in the third, LeBron broke the record with a vintage fadeaway:
As hard as it is for a Celtics fan to give, the King has earned a well deserved congratulations. I don’t believe I will see someone in my lifetime overtake his record. He has been at the top of the NBA for 20 years now. 20 YEARS. To add some perspective, I am 22 years old, so there hasn’t been a conscious year of my life where he hasn’t been dominating the league.
FINAL THOUGHT
As much as I dislike him, the first season where LeBron is not a part of the league is going to feel unnatural. I’ve matured as a sports fan now, and as LeBron nears the end of his career, I’ve grown to appreciate the greatness of his game. It reminds me of when Kobe retired and this iconic commercial was released:
Funny enough, the Trailblazers fan at the beginning who shouts “Kobe you suck!” was my coworker a couple of summers ago. Great guy, even better waiter, and when he told me that was him in the commercial I was nearly fired since I laughed so hard.
I’m sidetracking, but in short: Congrats LeBron, I wouldn’t call you the goat, but you have accomplished a lot in your career, and this is your greatest feat yet.