The basketball world was dressed in its finest last night, to witness the writing of a huge page in the history of basketball. It is now official, LeBron James is the new all-time leading scorer in the NBA.
The atmosphere was naturally special, sometimes reminiscent of the one that surrounded the Mamba Day in April 2016. Just like when Kobe Bryant’s career ended, the Los Angeles crowd had paid a high price to be present and personalities were crowded in the stands. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was of course present, as well as LeBron’s mother, wife, children, or former childhood teammates. In short, everything was planned to make this evening a must in terms of story telling.
The game? What more to say except that the roar that fell from the stands each time LeBron appeared on the screen … people didn’t really care about the result. A little like the Lakers’ season finally, but that’s not the subject, not today.
The subject? It’s obviously this record, a record that very quickly appeared to be in danger tonight. A few minutes to warm up, like taking measure of the event. 35 points to score to join Jabbar and 36 to enter history, at halftime it’s already 20 and one wonders then, simply, at what time will it fall.
And suddenly this fadeaway and the history that is written, before our eyes, a game that stops for half an hour, why not but go ahead, we told you to enjoy it.
The game? Who cares, even if a win would have added a bit more glamor to this all times record. Let’s face it, the Lakers are currently going through a very difficult phase, ranked 13th in the Western Conference and not currently qualified for the playoffs, we’ll see later. This time it’s done, LeBron James has reached a Grail that has little to do with the rest, a place he’s not ready to leave for another and which confirms, if it needed to be, the exceptional career of one of the greatest athletes in history. And the craziest thing about it all? He still has a few challenges to accomplish… Feb. 8, 2023: Thunder 133, Lakers 130 | LeBron James 38 points!
NBA’s All-Time scoring list (Top 10)
| RANK | PLAYER | PTS | GP | MIN | FGM | FGA | FG% |
| 1 | LeBron James | 38,390 | 1,410 | 53,741 | 14,053 | 27,829 | 50.5 |
| 2 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 38,387 | 1,560 | 57,446 | 15,837 | 28,307 | 55.9 |
| 3 | Karl Malone | 36,928 | 1,476 | 54,852 | 13,528 | 26,210 | 51.6 |
| 4 | Kobe Bryant | 33,643 | 1,346 | 48,643 | 11,719 | 26,200 | 44.7 |
| 5 | Michael Jordan | 32,292 | 1,072 | 41,010 | 12,192 | 24,537 | 49.7 |
| 6 | Dirk Nowitzki | 31,560 | 1,522 | 51,367 | 11,169 | 23,734 | 47.1 |
| 7 | Wilt Chamberlain | 31,419 | 1,045 | 47,859 | 12,681 | 23,497 | 54 |
| 8 | Shaquille O’Neal | 28,596 | 1,207 | 41,917 | 11,330 | 19,457 | 58.2 |
| 9 | Carmelo Anthony | 28,289 | 1,260 | 43,513 | 10,119 | 22,643 | 44.7 |
| 10 | Moses Malone | 27,409 | 1,329 | 45,071 | 9,435 | 19,225 | 49.1 |
