LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most field goals scored in NBA history as the Los Angeles Lakers lost at the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
James scored 16 points for the Lakers in the 120-113 defeat and passed Abdul-Jabbar’s tally of 15,837 during the first quarter.
The 41-year-old, who is playing in an unprecedented 23rd NBA season, passed Abdul-Jabbar to become the top scorer in NBA history in February 2023.
Last year he became the first player to reach 50,000 points combined in the regular season and post-season, and currently has 43,127 in the regular season alone.
“Being mentioned with some of the greatest to ever play this game has always been humbling,” said James, the league’s four-time Most Valuable Player.
“I grew up watching, reading [about], idolising a lot of the greats, and if I was able to be part of the NBA, I wanted to put myself in position that I can be named with some of the greats by doing something right.
“It’s a pretty cool feat, but it’s hard for me to kind of wrap my head around it or what it looks like.”
Lakers coach JJ Redick likened the evolution of James’ career to that of Bruce Springsteen, saying: “You get to the end and you’re like, ‘this guy’s greatest hits are like insane’.
“And LeBron’s greatest hits, he just keeps adding to them. He just plays and plays and plays and the greatest hits, he’s got a hell of a catalogue.”
James passed Abdul-Jabbar’s points record before field goals as three-point shots were introduced midway through the NBA legend’s career.
The six-time champion spent most of his 20-year career with the Lakers and retired in 1989 having scored 55.9% of his 28,307 shots. James has a 51.6% scoring rate.
The four-time champion is set to claim another record as Thursday’s game was his 1,606th in the regular season, putting him five behind Robert Parish.
James earned his 22nd All-Star selection this year and says he has not decided whether he will continue playing next season.
Fellow All Stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray each scored 28 points for Denver, who stayed fifth in the Western Conference standings, one spot above the Lakers.
Second-placed San Antonio claimed their 13th victory from 14 games, with Victor Wembanyama returning to top form with 38 points and 16 rebounds as the Spurs won 121-106 at home against the Detroit Pistons, who lead the Eastern Conference.
