Breaking a record, losing a game
Almost 9 months before LeBron James was born, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored a career points total of 38,387, making him the NBA’s all-time scoring leader.
From April 5, 1984, that record stood unreachable when * little by little, nature’s human anomaly chewed at the number, and needing just 36 points, he broke Abdul-Jabbar’s record last February 7 in a game against Oklahoma City Thunder.
LeBron is nature’s anomaly simply because at the age of 38, when most athletes had already retired, he’s still firing on all cylinders, scoring 30-plus points almost every playing night, with no signs of slowing down. How else can you explain this freakish phenomenon. He’s good for at least two more playing years.
It will surely take another 30 to 40 years for another player to break this record. A big congratulations to LeBron James, the media-proclaimed King, and all the LeBron faithful for becoming the league’s all-time leading scorer. I’m impressed really, but he should have shown more effort and carry the Lakers to victory, at their home court last Thursday. Not just score two more points after breaking KAJ’s record.
Compare LeBron to the late Kobe Bryant when he was challenged by Shaquille O’Neal in his final game at Staples. Shaq told him, “Kobe, they’re doing a big celebration for you the last game. A lot of us are going to be there. Can you promise me one thing? I need 50 that night. Can you do it? Your last game, your last game at the Staples, can you give us 50?”
Missing his first five shots, Kobe gave an epic GOAT-like farewell performance and promply scored 60 points.
Speaking to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Lebron said, “The scoring record was never ever even thought of in my head because I’ve always been a pass-first guy.”
Yeah right. That statement will hold true maybe several years back but when the hype of eclipsing KAJ’s record grew, he had been forcing his shots. In fairness, Lebron made most of them.
The scoring chase is done so perhaps he and the rest of the team could focus more on winning games. But wait. He recently moved up to 4th on the NBA’s all-time assist leaders, overtaking Steve Nash. He’s the only frontcourt player on the assist leaders top ten.
With 10,354 career assists, LeBron is chasing Chris Paul at number 3 all-time and needs, as of this writing, 930 to overtake CP3 with 11,283 career dishes. Both are still active and CP3 for the moment, has no plans of retiring.
The scoring chase is done and it’s time to win games, especially now that the Western Conference had gone crazy with superstar transfers.
Dong, LeBron, Dong. Unsa man ta ani? Unya nalang na’ng mga assists nato kaha.