Getty LeBron James (left) and Kevin Durant
Los Angeles Lakers small forward LeBron James is set to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the leading scorer in league history this season and Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant thinks it’s “pretty cool.”
During the Nets’ shootaround in Indiana on November 25, Durant spoke to reporters about James, who is 1,077 points away from breaking Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record.
“To be the No. 1 in anything, there’s 8 billion people in the world, we just figured that out last week, so to be the No. 1 of all time at scoring the basketball, I’m sure it’s going to be a range of emotions for him,” Durant said. “But to be in an era where we see this live is pretty cool as well. You probably can’t even describe the emotions and feelings him and his family and his friends are going to go through, but it’s cool to see it up close.”
James is arguably the greatest player in NBA history. He has career averages of 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Lakers. After leading the Lakers to the 2020 title over the Heat at the Walt Disney World bubble, James became the only player in league history to win three Finals MVPs with three different teams. The Akron native is a four-time MVP, four-time champion and four-time Finals MVP.
An 18-time All-Star, James is second in NBA history in points, seventh in assists, 11th in steals, fifth in triple-doubles, second in player efficiency rating and fifth in points per game. The Chosen One is the only player to rank top-10 all-time in both points and assists.
Durant Never Focused on Becoming the All-Time Scoring King
Durant is the 18th leading scorer in NBA history. The two-time Finals MVP, who is friends with James, never focused on becoming the all-time scoring king.
“I never really thought of it,” Durant said. “I heard the talks, especially early on in my career when I was doing stuff the LeBrons, the Michael Jordans have done in the league as far as scoring, but I know how tough it is to consistently do this year in and year out, day in and day out. A lot of stuff is out of your control. But I just try to come in and be the best version of myself I can be, and whatever happens, happens.”
Durant is fourth in NBA history in points per game, while James is fifth. Both players will be future Hall of Famers one day.
“It’s always about just keep adding, keep building up good days every day,” Durant said. “Being consistent in who I am as a player, and seeing what happens at the end of the road. So I’m just grateful to get up and do something like this every day. Just keep adding to my skill and keep building my database for the game, I guess. That’s what I look forward to every day. Whoever I pass and whatever records I break for myself, it is what it is. But I’m just trying to get up and be available, be the best I can every day.”
Durant: LeBron Is One of the Best 3 Players in NBA History
After the Lakers defeated the Nets on November 13, Durant called James one of the top three players in NBA history. James is the only player to record 10,000+ points, 10,000+ rebounds and 10,000+ assists.
“He’s obviously top-two player to ever play, top-three player to ever play the game,” Durant said about James, who didn’t play against the Nets due to a left groin injury. “So it’s always going to be excitement when he steps on the floor. We’ve been around for so long that people have seen so many battles between us at the highest stage that people look forward to it. So I guess it’s cool that we’re still relevant at an old age and people wanna come watch us play.”
James, 37, has appeared in 10 games this season for the Lakers, who are 5-11. The King is averaging 24.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.9 assists while shooting 45.7% from the field, 23.9% from beyond the arc and 66.7% from the free-throw line.