Lakers superstar LeBron James became the NBA's all-time leading scorer Tuesday night after draining a stepback elbow jumper in the third quarter to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It took just 26 minutes for James to total the 36 points needed to pass Abdul-Jabbar, and he finished the night with 38 points, seven rebounds and three assists in the Lakers 133-130 loss.
The shot that broke the record for James came with 10 seconds left in the third quarter, and it wasn't an easy look as Thunder forward Kenrich Williams played admirable defense to make the four-time champion work for it.
There was stoppage in play once James broke the record, and he was presented with a commemorative ball from NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Abdul-Jabbar to celebrate the moment. An emotional James expressed his gratitude in the moment, saying "I just want to say, thank you to the Laker faithful, you guys are one of a kind," James said after breaking the record. "To be able to be in the presence of such a legend and a great as Kareem it means so much to me."