LOS ANGELES – The National Basketball Association has a new all-time points king, and it goes from one member of the Lakers to another.
Los Angeles forward LeBron James scored 38 points against the Thunder at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night to pass Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabaar on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
His fadeaway jumper with 10.9 seconds to go in the third quarter put him past the Hall of Fame center, who finished his career with 38,387 points. After the game against Oklahoma City on Tuesday, James has 38,390 points in 1,410 games with the Cavaliers, Heat, and Lakers.
After hitting the record-breaking shot, the game was stopped to allow James and the crowd to celebrate. The four-time MVP and four-time NBA Champion was greeted on the floor by his family as the crowd changed “MVP” throughout Crypto.com Arena.
A brief presentation was held soon after at half court in which NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Abdul-Jabbar honored James with the presentation of a basketball to symbolize the passing of the all-time points lead from one player to another.
Selected first overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cavaliers, James has won four NBA regular season Most Valuable Player awards, four league championships, winning finals MVP en route to those titles.
A 19-time All-Star, James has been named the Associated Press’ Male Athlete of the Year four times, Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year three times, and the Time Athlete of the Year in 2020.
James is currently in his 20th season in the NBA, averaging 30.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and seven assists per game.