The Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James made history on Tuesday night, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387 career points to claim the top spot for the most career points in NBA history.
James achieved this feat in the third quarter of his team’s narrow 133-130 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night when he made a 14-foot jump to surpass Abdul Jabbar’s record which has stood for nearly 40 years.
The game was brought to a halt after James’ record-breaking shot, with the crowd chanting “MVP, MVP” in James’ favor as he embraced his wife, mother, and three children as they came onto the court. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Abdul-Jabbar then joined James for a 10-minute ceremony, where Abdul-Jabbar held the game ball aloft before handing it to James.
“I just want to say, thank you to the Laker faithful. You guys are one of a kind,” an emotional James exclaimed to the Lakers’ supporters. “To be able to be in the presence of such a legend as great as Kareem, it’s very humbling. Please give a standing ovation to the Captain, please.”
Needing just 36 points to overtake Abdul-Jabbar’s record before the game, James ended the game with 38 points on 13-of-20 shooting, including 4-of-6 from 3.
