LeBron James has done it. After 20 years, three teams, four championships and 1,410 regular-season games, King James has passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with 38,388 career points (and counting). Abdul-Jabbar was on hand at Crypto.com Arena to watch the 38-year-old James break his almost 39-year-old record, and fittingly, the new all-time leading scorer in NBA history broke the record in the same Los Angeles Lakers uniform that Abdul-Jabbar once wore.
Now, the entire NBA world is taking the time to praise the NBA’s new scoring king. Here are some of the best reactions to LeBron’s historic night.
The whole world was watching
James heard from rivals like Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. He heard from friends like Carmelo Anthony. He heard from Laker legends like Magic Johnson. He even heard from those outside of the basketball world like Rihanna. The entire sports world stopped Tuesday night to appreciate the NBA’s newest all-time leading scorer.
Father and son
The entire James family was on-hand for LeBron’s big night, and before he got to the record, James shared a fun moment with his eldest son, Bronny, in which they discussed the record. James made it clear that he planned to break the record here tonight, and he succeeded. It won’t be long before Bronny is on the court alongside James watching his father add to his record.
Former teammates chimed in
Kyle Kuzma may not have been around for too many of LeBron’s points, but he saw some of the biggest ones. Teammates from 2018 through 2021, Kuzma helped James win his fourth championship in 2020, and even though he’s now a member of the Wizards, he still took a moment to celebrate the teammate that helped make him a champion.
Taking time away from Super Bowl prep
In another life, LeBron James would have been among the greatest tight ends in NFL history. In reality, Travis Kelce has laid claim to that title with his stellar run as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. Those Chiefs are currently preparing to play in the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles, but not even that could draw Kelce away from his TV screen tonight.
The GOAT debate rages on
Isaiah Thomas played two relatively unsuccessful stints alongside James, getting traded once and leaving after the expiration of his mid-season contract in the other. Still, he crowned James the greatest of all time on Twitter after breaking the scoring record. Plenty of others have done the same. There’s no clear answer in the debate between James and Michael Jordan, but this record belongs to James and James alone.
