Getty Lakers star LeBron James
Los Angeles Lakers small forward LeBron James is set to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the leading scorer in league history this season and the King can’t believe it.
James, the only player in NBA history to record 10,000+ points, 10,000+ rebounds and 10,000+ assists, told Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times that it’s “a huge thing” to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
“It’s a huge thing, I believe,” James told The Times. “I think it’s one of the most sought-after records in sports. And me personally, I’ve never even like set a goal of doing it. It makes zero sense to me. But it’s something that’s bigger, and bigger than people think.”
James enters the 2022-23 season with 37,062 points, 1,325 fewer than Abdul-Jabbar. If James matches his scoring average with the Lakers (27.0 points), he’ll pass Abdul-Jabbar 49 games into the season.
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.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: LeBron Is the Definition of Consistency
While talking about what it takes to be great in the NBA, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo said being skilled isn’t enough. The six-time All-Star and two-time MVP discussed how being consistent is important and James was the first player he thought of.
“It takes more than skills to be great,” Antetokounmpo told SirusXM NBA Radio. “That’s what people don’t understand. You can be the most skillful person on Earth, still don’t make the NBA. The NBA is not about skills. It takes way more to be. Consistency. LeBron James, 20 years in the league. When you think about LeBron, you think about consistency. He’s been great for 20 years.”
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 future Hall of Famer is a four-time MVP, four-time champion and four-time Finals MVP.
James, who turns 38 in December, signed a two-year, $97.1 million extension with the Lakers in August. The extension made LBJ the highest-earning player in NBA history with $532 million in guaranteed money.
LeBron Is Still Chasing Michael Jordan
James has already passed Michael Jordan on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. However, LeBron is still two titles and two Finals MVPs away from tying Jordan, who won six rings and six Finals MVPs with the Chicago Bulls during the ’90s.
James told reporters in April that he’s highly motivated to win more championships with the Lakers, who missed the playoffs last season. “I came here to win a championship. I want to win more. So I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish, but I’m still hungry for more. … I’m confident that this organization wants the same. It’s what this organization has always been about.”
The Lakers open the 2022-23 season against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, who won the championship last season.