The stage was set on Saturday evening in Philadelphia. LeBron James and the Lakers were finishing an east coast road trip against the 76ers and James was just 18 points away from passing Kobe Bryant’s career total of 33.643 and claiming sole possession of third place on the all-time scoring list. The Lakers’ offense never seemed to find its groove, but the King was able to reach the milestone in the third quarter with a running layup.
The moment LeBron passed Kobe for No. 3 on the NBA all-time scoring list 👑🎥 pic.twitter.com/Sdv1aSquP0
— ESPN (@espn) January 26, 2020
The Lakers went on to lose to the 76ers, 108-91, in their lone trip to the Wells Fargo Center.
LeBron paid respect to Bryant, who was born in Philadelphia, by writing “Mamba 4 Life 8/24” in gold marker on his sneakers. However, the praise did not stop there. All week leading up to this game, James celebrated the career and accomplishments of Kobe.
“It’s another guy that I looked up to when I was in grade school and high school,” James said. “Seeing him come straight out of high school, he is someone that I used as inspiration. It was like, wow. Seeing a kid, 17 years old, come into the NBA and trying to make an impact on a franchise, I used it as motivation. He helped me before he even knew of me because of what he was able to do. So just to be able to, at this point of my career, to share the same jersey that he wore, be with this historical franchise and just represent the purple and gold, it’s very humbling, and it’s dope.”
LeBron wrote “Mamba 4 Life
8/24 KB” on his sneakers 🔥 pic.twitter.com/BGOhD4x153— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) January 26, 2020
So, where does that leave James now?
Last night, LeBron James surpassed Kobe Bryant on the all-time NBA scoring list 💪
1.. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 38,387
2. Karl Malone – 36,928
3. LeBron James – 33,655
4. Kobe Bryant – 33,643
5. Michael Jordan – 32,292
6. Dirk Nowitzki – 31,560
7. Wilt Chamberlain – 31,419— Hollywoodbets UK & Ireland (@HWbetsUKIRE) January 26, 2020
He is 4,733 points away from becoming the all-time leading scorer in NBA history. James, who just turned 35 years old on Dec. 30, appears to be able to play for another five seasons. The athlete remains in tip-top shape and has shown little signs of slowing down. We know he spends upwards of $1 million a year on his body to stay in game shape. James scored a career high 2,251 points during his last year in Cleveland. This season, the kid from Ohio is averaging just over 25 points per game, which would put him just over 2,050 if he keeps up the pace.
Barring a severe injury, LeBron will surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during the 2021-22 season when he hits age 37. LeBron will set the bar high, finishing his career with over 40,000 points. In regards to current active players in the Association, Carmelo Anthony has 26,035 points, the ageless Vince Carter has 25,618, and Kevin Durant sits at 22,940. The 31-year-old Durant will be 32 by the time he steps onto an NBA court, and even if he averages 2,000 points a season for the next eight years, Durant would still be short of the mark that LeBron is due to reach.
