On the evening of February 7, 2023, LeBron James became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. He passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with a step-back jumper against the Oklahoma City Thunder, raising his career total to 38,388 points.
A made-for-TV moment, with the Captain looking on
The Crypto.com Arena crowd was electric, and courtside seats were listed for seventy-five thousand dollars. James needed thirty-six points and came out aggressive, scoring eight in the first quarter and twenty by halftime. The sellout crowd chanted “M-V-P” as he closed in.
The record fell with ten seconds left in the third quarter. James created space with his trademark fallaway jumper from eighteen feet. Play stopped and his sons, his wife, and a wave of photographers rushed the court as Abdul-Jabbar watched from a baseline seat.
Abdul-Jabbar and Commissioner Adam Silver presented the game ball during the ceremony. Actor Denzel Washington and former teammate Dwyane Wade were among the celebrities watching. The Lakers issued over two hundred media credentials, triple the usual number.
A thirty-nine-year reign ends, faster and younger
Abdul-Jabbar had held the mark since April 5, 1984, when his skyhook passed Wilt Chamberlain. His record was considered unbreakable, protected by twenty seasons and a nearly unstoppable shot. James reached the summit in 1,410 games, one hundred and fifty fewer, with a 27.2 scoring average at age thirty-eight.
He had steadily climbed past Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Karl Malone. Malone’s 36,928 points was the only career within five thousand of the old mark. James was also already the postseason scoring leader with 7,631 playoff points.
“To be in the presence of such a legend and great as Kareem, it’s very humbling,” James told the crowd. “Please give a standing ovation to the Captain.”
The moment added another layer to a career stacked with four championships and four Finals MVP awards. Barely a year later he would become the first player to reach forty thousand career points, extending a lead that on this night simply looked inevitable.
