Sports Desk
LOS ANGELES: American basketball player LeBron James has become National Basketball Association’s (NBA) all-time leading scorer, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 39-year-old record.
The Los Angeles Lakers star hit 38 points in a 133-130 defeat by the Oklahoma City Thunder to pass Abdul-Jabbar’s mark of 38,387.
The record was previously broken in April 1984, eight months before James was born.
“To be able to be in the presence of a legend and great as Kareem, it means so much to me,” said James.
James, who needed 36 points to break Kareem’s record, did so with a fadeaway jumper at the end of the third quarter, finishing the match with a career total of 38,390.
Having achieved the historic feat, an emotional James raised both arms in celebration while 75-year-old Abdul-Jabbar, who was also present at the match at the Laker’s home court, stood and applauded.
The play was paused briefly for a ceremony to mark James’ achievement, with James taking a microphone to make a speech on court.
Having played with the Milwaukee Bucks and Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar participated in 20 NBA seasons and won six titles, six regular season MVP crowns and was twice named finals MVP.
Basketball’s GOAT
Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, James is in his 20th season in the NBA.
The forward was first drafted by his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003.
The four-time NBA champion then joined the Miami Heat in 2010, winning two titles, before going back to lead Cleveland to the only NBA title in their history in 2016.
The 38-year-old has been with the Lakers since 2018 and helped them in winning the 2020 title, which was also his fourth time being named NBA finals MVP.
The two-time Olympic champion has appeared in the NBA Finals 10 times.
