James on verge of joining elite group with 30,000 points
Cleveland star limited to 16 in Thursday win over Orlando but only 25 shy of milestone
CLEVELAND — LeBron James never imagined the view from 30,000 — points.
Now in his 15th season, James needs 25 points to become the seventh NBA player — and youngest — to reach 30,000 career points, a mark he couldn’t have fathomed when he began his career.
James is on the verge of joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points), Karl Malone (36,928), Kobe Bryant (33,643), Michael Jordan (32,292), Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) and Dirk Nowitzki (30,808) on the select list of scorers.
“I’m joining elite company,” James said Thursday as the Cavaliers prepared to host the Orlando Magic. “When I walk into the 30,000-point club, they’re going to look at me like, ‘What are you doing here?’ I ain’t supposed to be there.”
Isaiah Thomas scored 21 and the Cavs snapped a four-game losing skid by beating the Magic 104-103 despite blowing a 23-point lead.
James scored 16 and now needs 25 to reach that milestone, which will likely happen Saturday when Cleveland hosts Oklahoma City.
“Hopefully I don’t do it tonight because my kids got school tomorrow,” James joked prior to Thursday’s game. “Hopefully I’ll wait (until) Saturday. They can come to the weekend games. So, that would be pretty cool.”
James’ two sons, Bronny, 13, and Bryce, 10, typically attend weekend home games. But even if they come to the game, James isn’t so sure they’ll be impressed by their dad’s accomplishment.
“Absolutely not,” James said, smiling. “They could care less.”
James, who turned 33 on Dec. 30, will surpass Bryant as the fastest player to hit 30,000. Bryant was 34 years and 104 days old when he hit the mark.
For James, seeing his name alongside some of the game’s all-time greats is meaningful.
“It’s not up there in the goals I set out for myself to be in this league,” he said. “I definitely looked at the list and saw the list . . . it’s definitely a select few. It’s a select company. So it’s special in that right.
“But I can honestly sit here and say that I’ve never set out to set scoring records or be a part of a scoring club.”
With 11 seconds left, Thomas made two free throws and Cleveland came up with a defensive stop in the frantic final seconds to preserve Thursday’s much-needed victory.
James committed six turnovers and went 2-of-8 from the free-throw line as the Cavs got their fourth win in 13 games.
“Right now, we’re in Strugglesville,” James said. “But it felt like a win. We needed it. Definitely.”