This is official. On Tuesday night at Staples Center, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar crowned fellow Laker LeBron James as the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, a record he had held for nearly four decades since April 1984.
Despite this, the two great players in gold and purple have had their controversies in the past such as over a player’s use of social platforms, COVID-19 vaccinations, etc.
The Hall of Famer, six-time NBA champion, and 19-time All-Star was in attendance at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday, lending James his support for his success. James surpassed Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points with a jumper with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter against the Thunder.
The game stopped for a ceremony in which commissioner Adam Silver and Abdul-Jabbar honored James as the Lakers legend handed James the basketball in a torchlight moment.
“Just want to say thank you to the Locker faithful, you guys are one of a kind,” James tearfully told the Los Angeles crowd. “Being in the presence of a legend and one of the greatest like Karim is humbling. Give the captain a standing ovation.”
“Everybody that’s been a part of this race for the last 20 years, I just want to say thank you. … F–k, man … thanks guys!”
Before the historic night, Abdul-Jabbar didn’t always have kind words for the king. He has said that some of James’ actions are “beneath him” and that he “should be ashamed of himself.”
Regarding an in-game celebration by James in December, he said in a video on Substack, “For me, winning is enough. Why do you need to do silly, childish dances and disrespect the other team on the court? ? It doesn’t make any sense. Goats don’t dance.”
Randy Brewer, center for the Milwaukee Bucks, holds the basketball as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers blocks during their 1986 NBA Pacific Division basketball game.
LeBron James of the Miami Heat gets ready to attempt a free throw against the Boston Celtics in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs.
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Shaquille O’Neal, Bob McAdoo, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Jerry West, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar pose for a photo during the NBA 75 group photo as part of the 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shoots against the Washington Bullets in 1982.
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The fellow 19-time All-Star, four-time NBA Finals MVP, and four-time NBA champion had nothing but. ESPN’s Michael Wilbon had kind words to say about Abdul-Jabbar on Tuesday.
“It’s still bothering myself … I never said I wanted to lead the league in scoring or, certainly, never said I wanted to be the all-time scoring leader,” he said. said “It’s never been a dream of mine, and to sit here and actually be on the brink of it, it’s pretty crazy.”
“It is an honor for me to join a company with such a distinguished, dominant force as Kareem,” he added.
At 38 years old, James has shown zero signs of aging, as he is averaging 30 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game. In Abdul-Jabbar’s 1984 season, in which he broke Wilt Chamberlain’s scoring record, he posted 21.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.
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