LeBron tops Kareem as scoring king 'Humbling'
LOS ANGELES -- LeBron James might insist he's not a scorer, but the Los Angeles Lakers star punched a major hole in his own argument with a historic night amid the 20th season of his decorated NBA career. With a 14-foot fadeaway jumper late in the third quarter, James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 38, 387 career points to move into the No. 1 spot on the league's all-time scoring list Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. After the record-breaking basket, which came with 10. 9 seconds left in the quarter, James raised both hands into the air as he looked skyward. Photographers quickly circled him on the court, as chants of "MVP, MVP" rained down from the crowd at Arena and highlights of James' career played on the videoboard. The game was stopped for about 10 minutes while James hugged his family, including his wife, his mother and his three children, and participated in a brief ceremony with NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Abdul-Jabbar, who watched the game from a baseline seat near the Lakers bench."A record that has stood for nearly 40 years, " Silver said. "Many people thought it would never be broken. LeBron, you are the NBA's all-time scoring leader. Congratulations. "Abdul-Jabbar held the game ball aloft, then handed it to James, the ceremonial passing of the torch. They posed for photos with Silver, then with one another. James said he almost never cries, but he acknowledged the tears in his eyes."I just want to say, thank you to the Laker faithful. You guys are one of a kind, " James told the fans that turned out in droves for the chance to see a once-in-a-generation achievement. "To be able to be in the presence of such a legend as great as Kareem, it's very humbling. Please give a standing ovation to the Captain, please. "James then thanked his family and those who have supported him, including Silver and late NBA commissioner David Stern."I thank you guys so much for allowing me to be a part of something I've always dreamed about, " James said. James entered the game with 38, 352 points, needing 36 to overtake Abdul-Jabbar. He finished the night with 38 points on 13-of-20 shooting (4-of-6 from 3) to go along with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in a 133-130 Lakers loss."I had a moment when it happened, and I embraced that moment, '' James said afterward. "Seeing my family and friends, the people that's been around me since I started this journey to the NBA, definitely very emotional right there. Just a kid from a small town in Ohio. I had a moment there, but I don't think it's really hit me, what just transpired. "The Lakers credentialed more than 200 media members for the occasion, an amount typically seen for a late-round playoff game. James' family and friends from Akron, Ohio, were in attendance, including some high school teammates.
All data is taken from the source: http://espn.com
Article Link: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/3...
#james #newsyoutube #bbcnewsworld #newsworldwide #newstodaymsnbc #usanewstoday #