LeBron James could very well break the NBA’s all-time scoring record today when the Lakers play the Thunder.
It is a record Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has held since 1984, with 38,387 points – which he achieved in his 20th season and fittingly, LeBron is also in his 20th season.
Nets forward Kevin Durant is the closest active player to LeBron and Abdul-Jabbar’s record, with 26,684 points and the 34-year-old recognises what a feat it is for his long-time rival to achieve.
“You gotta play 20 years, and from the second you step into the league, you gotta score,” Durant told The Athletic. “He averaged 20 points his first year, 27 his second and like 31 his third, so you gotta be scoring. You can’t start off scoring 17 points your first four or five years, and that’s what makes LeBron even more special. He didn’t waste any time when he got into the league.
“He was ridiculous, man, and every basketball player should be looking up to him for that.”
Amazingly, at 38 years old, James is still averaging 30 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists, so the scoring record is well within his grasp today.