With 37 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ amazing comeback victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, LeBron James inched ever closer to surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
The four-time MVP has 38,164 points, which is 223 points behind Abdul-Jabbar. At the pace James is on, he would overtake the legendary Lakers center in less than 10 games, which means sometime in early February.
The game in which James overtakes Abdul-Jabbar is sure to be must-see TV and a piece of history, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters at a press conference that everyone around the world will get to see it.
Via NBA.com:
“Silver assured reporters the league will not whiff when LeBron James passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading points champion. The game in which it happens will get not only a national but a global TV audience with ceremonies during and after.”
James has made it clear that what he mainly cares about right now is winning, specifically winning championships. With the Lakers far away from title contention, many fans believe James becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer will be somewhat of an empty accomplishment.
But it will be another notch on his belt, regardless.