LeBron, the new NBA All-Time Leading Scorer

By: Rommel C. Manlosa

CEBU City, Philippines — LeBron James is now the new NBA All-time leading scorer following his 38 points finish in Lakers 133-130 loss to the OKC Thunders at the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday (Philippine time).

James entered the game needing 36 points to beat Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s 38,387. His teammates fed him the leather until the last play when James got the ball from Russel Westbrook, dribbled left three times against the hard defense of Kenrich Williams at the foul throw area, took off on his left foot for the fall-away shot that found its way at the bottom of the net with 10.9 seconds left to end the third period. That was his 38,388 points.

As earlier announced, the game was stopped following the shot to give way to a short ceremony, where Commissioner Adam Silver officially announced James’ achievements before Jabbar handed him the commemorative ball to celebrate the moment. The same ball James used to beat the record, which “The Captain” wrested from Wilt Chamberlain on April 5, 1984, eight months before Gloria James gave birth to “The King.”

It took James, 38, a total of 1410 games to eclipse Jabbar’s achievement. However, LeBron, who is on his 20^th season, did it in 150 fewer games than Kareem, who officially retired in 1989.

Aside from a sell-out crowd who chanted “MVP” and “LBJ”, celebrities, close friends, James’ mother Gloria, wife Savanna, sons Bronny and Bryce and daughter Zhuri were in attendance during his monumental accomplishment that stamped LeBron’s greatest and achievements in basketball.

Although James scored only two points the rest of the way in Lakers futile effort to beat the Thunder, the achievement was immortalized by the congratulatory remarks from basketball greats including Jabbar himself. RCM