Lebron James, The New Career Points Leader

LeBron James is now the all time point scoring leader in the NBA, topping Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who previously held the record with 38,387 points. The 2022-23 season has been one of the best for James, who averaged 30.2 points and 8.5 rebounds a game through early February. James currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, who he has been with for five years. The Lakers are known for hosting some of the best NBA players in history, such as Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant. 

James has been playing basketball for 29 years, starting at the age of nine. He played for St. Vincent-St. Mary in high school in Akron, Ohio. He was one of the best in the nation for his age group, scoring 2,667 total points while at the school. In his freshman year, he led his team to a state championship and after this he earned his nicknames: “Ohio Mr. Basketball” and “The Chosen One.” He also had two player of the year awards while in high school, was drafted straight from high school into the NBA and never had the chance to go to college. 

In 2003-4, he spent his rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He continued to play for the Cavs until 2010 when he went to the Miami Heat to play for the next 4 seasons. After the switch, Cavs fans were livid at James for switching teams. They burned their James jerseys on live TV and threw rocks at a ten foot tall billboard featuring James. Even after all the pushback, James had some record setting seasons with the Heat. He led them to two championships, in 2012 and 2013, and picked up two MVP awards along the way. 

After his 2013-14 season ended, he felt he wanted to “prove to the world that he could win a championship with multiple teams.” James wanted to return home to Cleveland. He ended up winning the 2016 championship with the Cavs. The 2017-18 season came fast and James was ready for a break. He was tired of being relied on to win all the games and carry his team to victory. So in 2018 he moved to the Lakers and has been there ever since. 

After 20 years of playing in the NBA, James has built up a reputation for being one of the best in the league. He has achieved a huge milestone, breaking the all time career points record. He has been compared to some of the best players ever, such as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Shaquille O’Neal, and James is arguably way better because of his incredible stats and his hard work during practices. 

On February 7th, with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter, James put up a fade away shot to break the record. James was playing against the Oklahoma City Thunder and after nearly 39 years of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record standing, the record has been broken. James paused for a second, then bent over with his hands on his knees. He smiled at his family as they jumped in excitement. They joined him on the court. “I felt like I was sitting on top of the arena tonight,” James said to a New York Times reporter in an after-game interview. 

It is amazing how far James has come, from small high school leagues to an all-time NBA star. His contact with the Lakers (until 2025) means he will most likely play another two seasons, although he is thinking about his retirement. James has fully surpassed his childhood goal of making it to the NBA. He is now one of the star players in the league and is much more than anyone anticipated.