Last night, LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s All-time NBA scoring record in the third quarter of the Lakers’ game against the Thunder.
For those of us who grew up watching Kareem play, that was a record that we all thought would stand the test of time.
We thought Jordan might break it, but when he left the game for a few years, that thought was gone.
After his final retirement, the thought of breaking Kareem’s record became so far-fetched that it wasn’t even debated.
Then the Cleveland Cavaliers selected LeBron James with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.
The basketball phenom came straight out of high school and was immediately compared with other high school standouts such as Moses Malone, Kevin Garnett, Tracey McGrady and Kobe Bryant.
But as the years progressed and LeBron kept growing, scoring and making NBA Finals appearances, Kareem’s scoring record slowly crept back into the conversation.
LeBron asserted himself in the league quickly. No longer was he a teenager. He was a grown man quickly becoming a dominant force that teams had to reckon with.
Whether you loved him or hated him, you had to respect him because he was accomplishing something special almost every year, starting in his rookie season where he averaged 20. points, 5.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds.
And that was just the start of things to come.
LeBron would guide his teams in Cleveland, Miami and LA to both playoff and NBA Finals appearances, winning four of the latter.
But LeBron grew into something bigger than an NBA player, starting with the now infamous made-for-TV interview, “the decision,” on July 8th, 2010.
When the kid from Akron and anointed savior of the Cavaliers told Jim Gray “I’m gonna take my talents to South Beach,” he morphed into both a villain and a leader of a new wave of athlete independence and activism.
They burned his jerseys, threatened him and ripped him in every game the Heat played.
But he simply used it as fodder to fuel his continued ascent on and off the hardwood.
He helped make the introduction for “The Big Three” a must-see event filled with an entrance Hype Williams would be proud of.
He led Miami to four straight NBA Finals, winning two of them.
LeBron learned about media rights deal and structuring contracts so that he could move and earn at his pace.
He brought activism back to the league, and sports in general, when he and his teammates donned hoodies in tribute to Trayvon Martin and wore “I can’t breathe” shirts in reference to Eric Garner.
He alsi made the South Beach hardwood THE arena in the league ESPN even created a page dedicated solely to the Heat called “The Heat Index.”
Then he returned to Cleveland and further carved out his legacy back in the city that gave him his start.
Not only did he bring the franchise its first and only NBA championship in a thrilling come-from-behind series win over the Warriors, he also brought change to the city by founding the “I Promise School” in Akron.
But he didn’t stop there.
He continued to expand his brand by moving to LA and getting into film and television through The SpringHill company with his long-time friend and business partner, Maverick Carter.
Along with his fourth NBA championship in the Bubble came “Space Jam 2”, documentaries, “Uninterrupted” and a slew of other entertainment-focused projects.
But he never lost sight of what he set out to do when he first picked up a basketball back in Akron.
So he stayed in shape and continued to dominate despite fans and the media sometimes paying more attention to his age instead of his continued greatness. Nightly highlights featured new rising stars like Giannis and Ja Morant, yet LeBron wasn’t ready to give up his spotlight yet as a once lofty goal was in reach.
Over the last two years in particular, LeBron elevated his game and has averaged over 30 points, 6 assists and 8 rebounds, doing everything he could to push the Lakers back to the Finals.
And while the season hasn’t gone the way he wished, last night his biggest basketball wish came true.
Yet this morning, instead of simply celebrating LeBron and giving him every prop he deserves, the celebration immediately turned into a GOAT debate over the airwaves.
And that’s wrong.
LeBron has accomplished something no one thought could be done. I’m sure even Kareem thought his record was safe from assailants, but he was obviously mistaken.
Today is not the day to debate whether he or Michael Jordan is the greatest.
Today is the day to celebrate LeBron’s accomplishments and career.
19x All-Star, 4x NBA champion, 4x NBA Finals MVP, Rookie of the Year, Scoring Champion, 6x All-Defense.
He also adds being a great father, husband, son, leader, educator and role model to his resume.
And now, after scoring his 38,388th point last night on a fadeaway shot last night, LeBron James is the NBA’s All-Time scoring champion.
So congrats LeBron. Enjoy your new place in NBA and sports history.
And that’s a place that can never be debated.
