LeBron James Passes Kobe Bryant For 3rd Place on All-Time NBA Scoring List

LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers in May 2018. Photo by Canadian Press/REX/Shutterstock (9656137i)

LeBron James is one of the most accomplished players in the history of the National Basketball Association. On Saturday night, he added yet another milestone to his list of feats, passing the late former Lakers guard Kobe Bryant for 3rd place on the league’s all-time scoring list.

James went into Saturday night’s clash with the 76ers at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia needing 18 points to eclipse Bryant’s career mark of 33,643. The Sixers didn’t make things easy for the King, but he finally got close to the mark in the third quarter.

He took off towards the basket and completed a running layup, accomplishing the feat in Bryant’s hometown. At the next timeout, the arena gave James a standing ovation in honor of his achievement.

LeBron was effusive in his praise of the former Laker great, saying, ” I’m happy just to be in any conversation with Kobe Bean Bryant, one of the all-time greatest basketball players to ever play, one of the all-time greatest Lakers. The man has two jerseys hanging up in Staples Center. It’s just crazy.”

The only two names remaining for James to pass on the all-time scoring list are Karl Malone (36,928 points) and Kareem Abdul-Jabar (38,387 points), two names that appear well within reach for the Akron, Ohio native.

James finished the night with 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists in his team’s 108-91 loss to Philadelphia.

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