The King has been throned. Lebron James has finally beaten the All-time scoring record.
The previous record was set by NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on April 5th, 1984. Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar passed Wilt Chamberlain’s record after he scored his 31,420th point of his career,
crowning him as the all-time scorer.
Wilt Chamberlain would go on to score almost 7,000 more points after breaking
Chamberlain’s record setting the final count at 38,387 and he decided to retire after the 1988-89
season. Up until Lebron James, no man had come within 1,000 points of beating his record.
This includes Micheal Jordan (32,292), Kobe Bryant (33,643), and Karl Malone (36,928). This
was what seemed to be an unbreakable record.
What seemed to be impossible was just a benchmark for Lebron James’s career. On
February 7th, 2023 the Lakers took on the Oklahoma City Thunder. The stadium was packed,
and had the number of reporters that was typical for an NBA finals game With thousands of
fans, the previous All-time scorer, and his family and highschool teammates, the stage would be
set.
This was the game in which Lebron James would officially become the King. In the 3rd
quarter of the game, Lebron James got the ball and shot a fade-away from the elbow to ensure
his name at number 1 for the All-time scoring list. Lebron James had made a name for himself
before achieving this accolade, but now that he has beaten a record that has been untouched
for 38 years, it’s time we take a look at Lebron James over the years.
2003-2004: Where it all started
2003 was where it all started, at least for his career in the NBA. It started long before
that, but 2003 would go down as the year that the “Chosen One,” Lebron James would be
drafted into the league. Lebron James was the number 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, as he
was picked up by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was drafted alongside some other great players
including Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade. 2 of those 3 players he would later
get to join on a “super team.”
Lebron James had a legendary start to his NBA season as he was named the
2003-2004 Rookie of the year. The runner ups behind him were Carmelo Anthony, and Dwayne
Wade, who both had incredible rookie seasons as well. James had an unbelievable start to his
NBA career, as he finished with 20.9 points per game, 5.9 assists per game, and 5.5 rebounds.
For a 19 year old who didn’t have any college experience, it was an honor for him to win this
award.
2004-2005: First Time all-star
In just his 2nd season, Lebron James brought a struggling team to their first over 500
season in 6 seasons. This team had struggled year after year since the 1997-1998 season, and
with them finally getting over 500 Lebron James had brought some hope to his home state. This
season he would be recognized as an NBA all-star for the first time in his career.
Lebron deserved this accolade for a number of reasons, as he had stepped up his game
in just one offseason. He was getting more playing time, and he was playing more efficiently
than he had done in his previous season. He jumped from averaging 20.9 points in his rookie
season, to averaging 27.2 points, and he was playing at an elite level. He showed
improvements in multiple areas including shooting (41% to 47% on Field goals, 29% to 35% on
3’s), Rebounding (5.5 to 7.4 Total rebounds), and assists (5.9 to 7.2). Overall this was his
breakout season, and being recognized as an all-star didn’t make him arrogant. It boosted him
to get better and better with each season that he played.
2005-2010: First Playoff run
Between 2005-2010 Lebron James had officially turned his team around. The 2005-2006
season was the first time in 9 seasons that the Cleveland Cavaliers had finally started making it
to the NBA playoffs. During this time the Cavaliers had made it to the Eastern Conference
semi’s 4 out of 5 times, and in the 2006-2007 season, the Cavaliers made it to the finals. Lebron
James helped his team get to that point. In those 5 seasons, Lebron James had a scoring
average of 29.4 points per game, and had 2 seasons where he had averaged more than 30
points per game. This would lead him to being named an NBA all-star all 5 of those seasons,
and building his resume as the “Chosen one.”
2010-2014: Goodbye Cleveland
After Broadcasting “the decision” on live television, Lebron James decided to leave the
Cavaliers, and join the Miami Heat. During these 4 seasons, he would play alongside Chris
Bosh and Dwayne Wade, in what many people know as the big 3. In these 4 seasons, the Heat
would make it to the finals each season, and Lebron James would come out with 2
championship rings after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder going 4-1, to then winning the
championship again in the 2012-2013 season against the San Antonio Spurs. In both of those
seasons Lebron James would go on to win the finals MVP.
2014-2018: He Returns
After winning 2 championships with the Heat, the King decided to return to his home
state to hopefully get them a trophy, and he did just that. He returned back to his home team
and joined Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love. In the most entertaining series of basketball that many
have seen in their lives, Lebron James had gone to 4 consecutive NBA finals. This series was
so entertaining as the King was put up against his hardest competition: Prime Golden State
Warriors. This series sparked a great rivalry, and Lebron James came out of this with another
ring, not only for him, but the entire state of Ohio. In the postseason he had put up 30.8 ppg,
9.8rpg, and 8.2 ast. It’s one thing to see him win with a big 3, but to see him win for his home
state was another accomplishment.
2018-Present: LA here he comes
After spending all of his career in the eastern conference Lebron James decided to
change things up and join the Western conference. The 38 year old is still with the Lakers and is
continuing his 19 year streak as an NBA all-star. Many players at this age have already retired,
or just aren’t putting up the same numbers, but the King is still putting up numbers like a player
in his prime. With the Lakers he has averaged 27.5 points, with last season, and this current
season being over 30 points per game. He is still just as efficient as he’s always been with a 35
3 point percentage, and a 59 field goal percentage. He is also playing less minutes than what he
did in his 2004-2005 season but is still having what would look like an MVP season, if this year’s
race wasn’t so competitive. In his time with the Lakers he also won a ring in the bubble season.
The King still has many years to come as he hopes to join his son on the court in the
future. He is taking great care of his body as it is rumored that he spends about $1,000,000 to
keep himself in shape to compete at such an elite level. Seeing him pass the all time scoring
record was a once in a lifetime experience, and he doesn’t seem to be retiring soon. In total the
King has played for 20 seasons, and has many accolades to show his greatness.
