LeBron James ahead of milestone – chasing history

89 points still separate him from becoming the best points collector in NBA history. A goal LeBron James never thought he would achieve. But one that serves as a testament to his mentality and work ethic.

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When LeBron James first played in the NBA almost two decades ago, nobody could have guessed what career the 18-year-old would have. Although the expectations were huge, he was announced by the legendary magazine “Sports Illustrated” as the “chosen one”. “The Chosen One” was on the cover of the February 2002 issue. But that he really so good would become?

In 2002, James was still playing in high school, had just turned 17, and only a year later was he even allowed to register for the NBA draft. And yet he was considered “The Chosen One”. Words James got tattooed on his back.

The rookie was accordingly excited before his debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had picked him first overall in the summer of 2003, as he recently revealed in an interview with ESPN said: “I didn’t know what to expect. I was extremely nervous.” But it was clear to James that he was ready for this moment: “I knew that I belonged in the best league in the world.”

And it didn’t take him long to prove this to viewers and critics. After a good three and a half minutes he had scored his first points. “I hoped it would be an easy layup, but it turned out to be a difficult shot,” James recalls, adding, “I was proud to have achieved one of my goals.”

Since those two points in Sacramento, 38,297 have been added. 89 points separate him from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the most successful scorer in NBA history. Soon he will also reach this milestone. In the night of tomorrow Friday he plays with the Los Angeles Lakers in Indiana, two days later there is a game in New Orleans.

There he will almost certainly not trump Abdul-Jabbar, anyway he will prefer to break the record at his home Staples Center. It will probably be against Oklahoma City (night on Wednesday) or at the latest against Milwaukee (night on Friday).

“King James” says about himself: “I was never a scorer. I was always a player who first looks for teammates and is happy when they are successful. » And the statistics show that James is an excellent passer. He has averaged over seven assists per game throughout his career and is now fourth on the list of players with the most assists. Abdul-Jabbar has handed out just under half the assists per game, and of the rest of the players ranked in the top 10 point earners in NBA history, LeBron James is by far the best passer. Michael Jordan is second best with 5.3 assists per game.

James says it was never his goal to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record. But “of course I know how to put the ball in the basket”. Scoring so many points despite this pass-first mentality is a testament to James’ work ethic. During his 20 seasons in the NBA, the league has evolved and he has evolved with it. A graphic from ESPN shows this impressively.

That’s how many shots LeBron James took from different positions on the field in his freshman year.image: espn

The graphics of James’ fifth year.

In his heyday, James played with the Miami Heat.

Throws from behind the three-point line and close to the basket. This is the graphic from James’ current season.

While at the beginning of his career he didn’t try much three-pointers, he acquired at least a passable distance shot and used it more and more often. At the same time, he increasingly dispensed with the difficult throws from the middle distance and tried to finish close to the basket more often. And no matter what the league was doing around it, despite being the focus of opposing defenses, no matter what age or stage in his career he was, LeBron James delivered consistently. So consistent that every NBA fan immediately associates the statistic “27 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists” with him. It’s his career averages. In that respect he is like a machine.

He makes sure of that with hard work off the pitch. Hardly any player is as fit as James, injuries only started to slow him down a bit late in his career. But the superstar, who turned 38 on December 30, is still one of the best players in the NBA. Hardly anyone is more hurt than James that the Lakers have not been very successful since winning the 2019/20 title. Still, James goes about his business game after game, unyielding and undisturbed by all the turmoil surrounding the team. He has 30.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game this season.

Previous record holder: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on his 75th birthday in April 2022. Bild: www.imago-images.de

And so it will be more than deserved if LeBron James soon tops the list of the best NBA point earners in history. This is also the view of the owner of the record mark, which was thought to be unsurpassable for a long time.

“I held the record for 38 years. I am pleased to be able to hand this over to the next worthy bearer. LeBron deserves it and I hope he holds the record longer than I do.” Kareem Abdul Jabbar in a statement announce.

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