Now that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has completed yet another regular season, he recently made history. Following his recent game against the Golden State Warriors, in which he poured in 26 points, he has now surpassed an important scoring mark.
LeBron has continued to put distance between him and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time scoring list. Three years ago, he shattered Kareem’s 33-year-old scoring record and has since added another 5,000 points on top of it.
That makes it much harder for someone to break the record in the future. Especially with players playing fewer games now than ever before. Not just that, but LeBron could further add to the record if he were to return next season.
LeBron James makes history any time he takes the floor
Even at age 41, he is still a seeming lock to score at least 1,000 points a season. Therefore, it’s hard to imagine any player currently in the NBA scoring more than 44,000 points.
Of course, it’s hard to mention LeBron and his legacy without bringing up Michael Jordan. Jordan has six championships, which is brought up in every GOAT discussion.
However, it should be noted that LeBron has played eight more seasons and has scored 11,000-plus points more than Jordan. That might not change some fans’ minds on who the greatest NBA player of all time is, but it should matter.
LeBron’s longevity give him an edge in GOAT debate
Longevity and durability should be a part of that conversation, and both of those categories give LeBron a distinct edge. That’s not to mention that if LeBron plays one more season, he could surpass Jason Kidd for third in all-time assists.
Being the all-time leader in scoring by a wide margin and possibly becoming third in assists underscores LeBron’s greatness as well as his unselfishness.
That might not make him equal in terms of championships. However, I’d argue that his scoring and playmaking achievements should bridge the gap between him and Jordan.
The fact that Jordan got burnt out and retired at 30 and then later retired again at 35 while LeBron didn’t should matter more in discussions. After all, LeBron has arguably been the most scrutinized player in NBA history yet has more than thrived over the last 24 years. If that doesn’t make him the goat, I don’t know what will.