Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has scored 35,367 regular-season points in his career, putting him in third place on the NBA's all-time scoring list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. If he stays healthy in 2021-22, LeBron should pass Malone (36,928) to move to No.2 on the list.
Then, barring anything unforeseen, James should be able to pass Kareem in 2022-23 and hold the scoring record for himself. And what will Kareem's reaction be if LeBron does indeed pass him? The Lakers legend would be right there cheering him on:
If @KingJames breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA scoring record, Kareem tells me he "will be right there to cheer him on."
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— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 14, 2021
There was no reason to expect anything different from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who's an absolute class act in addition to being a Hall of Famer. Kareem is happy to celebrate the stars who have come after him, just like he did when Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks won their first title in 50 years. Kareem was on the last Bucks team to win the title in 1971.
After his time with the Bucks, Kareem went to the Lakers and won five more championships, totaling six for his career. That's two rings more than what LeBron currently has, and the Lakers superstar is going to try and get No. 5 in 2021-22 after a disappointing playoff exit last season.
At 36 years old, James did show a bit of his age in the first-round playoff loss to the Phoenix Suns, but he's putting in the work this offseason and ready to come back with a vengeance next season after a busy summer for Los Angeles. We're not totally sure how much longer The King will be playing, but he should easily pass Kareem and perhaps get to that historic 40,000-point mark. That would be quite the accomplishment and a testament to his longevity as an all-time great in the NBA.
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