The NBA's all-time leading scorer, Karl Malone, was second on the list on Saturday night when he was passed by the man who is now in second place, the man who is now in second place, the man who is now in second place, the man who is now In a 127-119 loss to the Wizards in Washington, James had 36,929 points in his career. He got a standing ovation when he scored on a layup in the second quarter. James finished the game with 38 points, which put his career total at 36,947, just 1,440 behind the all-time leader. James probably won't admit it, but it feels like his goal for some time now has been to catch Kareem and become the league's all-time scoring king. I wouldn't fault James if he admitted to chasing Abdul-Jabbar's record all the time. James, his family, friends, and all his teammates were in awe of this moment. This moment could have been even better if the game had been in Cleveland. If the Lakers play the Cavs late in the season next year, James will be in the city where his NBA journey began. It would make the moment better if that was the ending.
If Saturday night had been in Los Angeles, it would have been great. Most Lakers fans don't claim to be true Laker fans. There will always be animus involved in that relationship because he wasn't born here. Kobe Bryant isn't more involved in the goat conversation because Lakers fans don't like it. James and Michael Jordan have been debating for almost a decade. I get that Lakers and especially Kobe fans feel that way.
Is it the final step in passing Jordan for the title of goat? Since he led the Cavs back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Warriors in the NBA Finals, he has been the goat. His words were not mine. Being viewed as the second greatest player in basketball history isn't anything to be ashamed of. Everyone wants to be No. 1, but only one can be.
James can surpass Jordan in the minds of the people. He only has to win one more title. It will be very difficult for him to win another title with the Lakers. We are talking about an entire reconstruction of a team that was almost completely changed this past summer. I don't know if the changes that will be made in the off-season will be enough to get them back into championship contention.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
