From his early days in basketball, LeBron James considered himself more of a passer than a scorer. But he was always active at the rim, and later in his NBA career he developed a shooting touch that made him an even more dangerous offensive player.
Twenty years of mastering how to properly attack NBA defenses has brought James to the pinnacle of a historic record.
Los Angeles Lakers star James is 158 points away from eclipsing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career total of 38,387. Abdul-Jabbar remains the NBA’s career scoring leader April 5, 1984 – More than eight months before James was born. Abdul-Jabbar played five more seasons for the Lakers after his passing Wilt Chamberlain For that topic.
As James approaches the record, he has increased his scoring output from 28.5 points per game in the first three months of the season to around 35 points per game in January. This season and 2021-22 are his career highs. Although it will be difficult, he can break the record against the Knicks on Tuesday in one of his favorite arenas, Madison Square Garden. Four games later, the Lakers would host the Milwaukee Bucks in a matchup between two NBA teams where Abdul-Jabbar played.
Lakers schedule
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Saturday @ Boston Celtics
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Monday @ Nets
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Tuesday @ Knicks
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Feb. 2 @ Indiana Pacers
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Feb. 4 @ New Orleans Pelicans
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Feb. 7 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
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Feb. 9 vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Some of James’ notable performances this season:
Jan. 24 vs. Los Angeles Clippers: 46 points
The Clippers jumped out to a big lead early, and after that the only aspect of the game that seemed to work for the Lakers was James’ long-range shooting. James made nine 3-pointers on 14 attempts, a career high.
James finished the night with 46 points, the first time he scored at least 40 points against the Clippers. First player to score at least 40 points in a game against all 30 NBA teams.
Despite James’ good night, the Lakers lost 133-115, and James was dejected as he sat on the bench at the end of the game.
Jan. 16 vs. Houston Rockets: 48 points
The Lakers suffered close losses to the Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers and went on a three-game losing streak. James has produced several impressive performances in losses this season, but he enjoys it even more when the team wins. The game was his highest-scoring of the season, and the second came in a repeat of the night.
James got a reminder of his age when Houston rookie Jabari Smith Jr. told him during the game that his father played against him in his first NBA game in 2003.
“I could have taken it a lot easier tonight, but I don’t think the speed of our ballclub was conducive to me taking a night off tonight,” James said after the game. “I’m not sure I wanted to sit on that loss to Philly last night. I wanted to get it off my taste buds.
Dec. 2 at Milwaukee Bucks: 28 points
It wasn’t one of James’ high-scoring games, but it showed what the Lakers are capable of when they’re at full strength. Anthony Davis stayed healthy and scored 44 points as the Lakers beat one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams on the road.
James’ 11 assists tied Magic Johnson for the sixth-most career assists in NBA history. It was his 900th career hit.
