PSG star Mbappe hails 'King' LeBron James after LA Lakers star becomes NBA's all-time leading scorer
LA Lakers star LeBron James on Wednesday became the NBA's all-time leading scorer, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's long-standing record.
FollowLA Lakers star LeBron James on Wednesday surpassed the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's long-standing record to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer, sparking massive excitement among fans of the sport, including Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) sensation Kylian Mbappe.
James scored 38 points in a 133-130 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 1989 record of 38,387 points.
"To be able to be in the presence of a legend and great as Kareem, it means so much to me," said LeBron James after reaching this milestone.
Abdul-Jabbar broke the scoring record in April 1984, eight months before the LA Lakers star was born.
After the third quarter, the 38-year-old, who needed 36 points to break the record, accomplished it with a fadeaway jumper, giving him a career total of 38,390 points.
An emotional LeBron James raised both arms in celebration while 75-year-old Abdul-Jabbar stood and applauded the star on the Lakers' home court.
The play was briefly stopped for a ceremony to celebrate the victory, during which James spoke on the court using a microphone.
"Everybody that has ever been a part of this run with me the last 20-plus years, I want to say thank you so much because I wouldn't be me without all you. You all helped. Your passion and sacrifices helped me to get to this point," James said.
"And to the NBA to Adam Silver, to the late great David Stern, thank you very much for allowing me to be a part of something I always dreamed about. I would never in a million years dreamt this to be even better than what it is tonight," he added.
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LA Lakers' fan and French star Kylian Mbappe took to Instagram to applaud James' historic feat. The 24-year-old posted a photograph of himself alongside the iconic basketball player and wrote in the post's caption: "The Greatest," with an emoticon of a crown indicating the King.
In front of a cheering crowd that included tennis great John McEnroe, musicians Jay-Z, LL Cool J, and Bad Bunny, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., actor Denzel Washington, and music icon Jay-Z, Abdul-Jabbar ceremoniously turned the ball over to James to acknowledge his new record.
"I thought it had every chance of being broken. It just had to have someone that the offense focused on continually," said Abdul-Jabbar.
"LeBron's career is one of someone who planned to dominate this game. You have to give him credit for just the way he played and for the way he's lasted and dominated," he added.
James, a four-time NBA champion, is in his 20th season after being selected first by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft. After joining the Miami Heat in 2010, winning two championships, the forward left again to help Cleveland capture the lone NBA championship in franchise history in 2016.
He joined the Lakers in 2018 and assisted them in their championship victory in 2020. This was his fourth time receiving the NBA Finals MVP award. James, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, has made 10 NBA Finals appearances and won four MVP awards during the regular season.
Abdul-Jabbar spent 20 seasons in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks and Lakers, where he amassed six championships, six MVP awards during the regular season, and two MVP awards for the NBA Finals.
Asked after the game whether he is the best NBA player of all time, James said: "I'll let everybody else decide who that is or just talk about it, but it's great barbershop talk.
"Me personally, I'm going to take myself against anybody who's ever played this game. But everyone's going to decide who their favourite is."
