James clears Chamberlain mark
LEBRON James took another milestone in his stride as he passed Wilt Chamberlain to become the fifth most prolific scorer in National Basketball Association history on Wednesday.
James blew past Chamberlain by scoring 44 points for the Los Angeles Lakers in a 126-117 home victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Next in James’s sights is boyhood idol Michael Jordan, a player he worshiped so much that he wears the same No. 23 jersey made famous by the retired Chicago Bulls legend.
The 33-year-old has 31,425 career points, 867 behind Jordan, a mark that should easily be within reach this season for James, who has averaged a little more than 27 points-per-game during his career. “Anytime my name is mentioned with some of the greats who have played this game, I’ll always think back to my hometown, how far I’ve come,” James told reporters.
He was referring to his hometown of Akron, Ohio, the gritty blue collar city south of Cleveland where he was born and raised.
James left the Cleveland Cavaliers in the offseason for the storied Los Angeles Lakers, which despite having fallen on hard times in recent years remains one of the league’s glamour franchises.
James needed 39 points on Wednesday to pass Chamberlain. He reached the mark with just under 4 minutes remaining when he converted a free throw.
“Knowing where I’ve come from and knowing how hard it was to get to this point... I give it all to the man above for giving me god-given abilities,” James said. “I’m taking full advantage of them and then my coaching staff and teammates throughout my 16 years so far have got me to this point.”
James has been selected as NBA most valuable player four times and has three championship rings, two with the Miami Heat and one with the Cavaliers.
Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA’s all-time points leader with 38,387 points, followed by Karl Malone (36,928) and Kobe Bryant (33,643).
On Wednesday, James added 10 rebounds and 9 assists as the Lakers earned their fourth win in a row.
JaVale McGee scored 20 points, Brandon Ingram had 17 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 13 off the bench for the Lakers, who ended a nine-game home losing streak to Portland.
Damian Lillard had 31 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists, CJ McCollum scored 23 points, and Jusuf Nurkic finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Trail Blazers.
Elsewhere, it was: Thunder 128, Knicks 103; Grizzlies 116, Bucks 113; Celtics 111, Bulls 82; Timberwolves 107, Pelicans 100; Suns 116, Spurs 96; Magic 111, 76ers 106; Heat 120, Nets 107; Pistons 106, Raptors 104; Mavericks 118, Jazz 68; and Wizards 119, Cavaliers 95.