LeBron James, now second on the NBA's all-time scoring list, is changing the scoreboard when it comes to defining his legacy
In a mostly quiet locker room after a 29-point loss in Phoenix on March 13, LeBron James sat alone at his locker and carefully inscribed the game ball, smiling as he softly blew on the ink to make sure the valued piece of personal memorabilia was protected.
It was a symbolic visual of this powerful yet awkward season for the Los Angeles Lakers star. And perhaps a preview of what might be to come as he runs down one of the greatest individual records in American sports under cloudy skies.
The milestone that evening in Arizona was becoming the first player in NBA history to eclipse 10,000 points, rebounds and assists. The autographed ball is likely headed to a just-announced James museum that is being constructed in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. For a player who takes pride in his all-around game, it was a cherished moment.
"The dreams I had of being in this league and playing at the highest level and to now sit alone in a statistical category in this league -- I model my game after being able to score, rebound and assist," James said. "And to sit alone in a stat, I'll say cool, but it doesn't quite make sense to me."
But it came in a dud loss in a dud season with Lakers fans having some mixed feelings about James, who delivered a championship in 2020 but has frustrated them since with his leadership style. The Lakers recognized the achievement at home the next night, just as the team was falling behind 26-6 in the first quarter against the Toronto Raptors.
The latest moment to honor James came Saturday night against the Washington Wizards as he passed Karl Malone with his 36,939th point, becoming the No. 2 all-time scorer in league history. Assuming good health, James should pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) for the grand honor midway through next season to take down the biggest individual career record in the sport. He's on pace to do so in roughly 150 fewer games.
James' career is entering its sunset and his rewriting of the most sacred sections of the NBA record books has developed into a cornerstone for his case to be called the greatest of all time.
It has become apparent his résumé won't be based on championships alone, as it looks increasingly unlikely that he'll equal or pass Michael Jordan's six NBA titles. James' claim ultimately will be this: No one was ever this good for this long.
This cascade of accomplishments is soon to push home that point. But the response might not be as storybook as it could be because of how his tenure with the Lakers is unfolding. But that's a tax James must pay for his choice to franchise-hop in his chase of Jordan and happiness.
Three years ago, James passed Jordan for fourth in all-time scoring and was so moved he sat with his head in a towel for nearly two minutes in the midst of the game. The crowd at Staples Center, which was watching a sub .500 Lakers team get blown out by 20 points, gave a polite ovation. The biggest embrace he received from anyone on the floor wasn't from a teammate, but rapper 2 Chainz.
Earlier this season, James passed Abdul-Jabbar in total scoring including playoffs. But it came in another lopsided loss, this time to the Golden State Warriors. For a team in the middle of a disaster season, that seminal moment largely went unrecognized. Saturday, the crowd in Washington gave James another nice but limited ovation when he checked out of the game following the Malone-passing basket.
In December, Stephen Curry's march toward breaking Ray Allen's career 3-point record was tracked daily and celebrated across the league. The Warriors star broke the record in New York, where the Madison Square Garden faithful treated him like an honorary Knick for the evening.
As popular as Curry is, that 3-point record is not as venerated as the one James will likely break next season. Abdul-Jabbar's mark has stood for 33 years and James is in position to salt it away, so much so that he could score more than 40,000 career points if he stays healthy.
"It's wild to think about how many games he's played, how long he's been doing it. The longevity of it all is legendary," Curry said of James. "To be in that position where you've played that many games, you've been in so many different playoff runs, won championships and done it year after year, there is no real end in sight. That's a pretty special accomplishment."
And given what has transpired this season in Los Angeles, as he's racking up accolades, it's harder, still, to predict how James' chase next season will be viewed. Each milestone seems to be received with even more indifference, especially in a city where his scoring record quest will simultaneously dethrone a Lakers great.
Because James' roots in L.A. are still relatively shallow, the 2020 championship apparently notwithstanding, the faithful's mood seems to be more tied to team performance rather than honoring his individual landmarks. Of course, James' efforts will always be compared to Kobe Bryant, whose chasing of various stats during his final seasons, even on miserable Lakers teams, was lauded by the fanbase who loved him unconditionally.
It has sometimes put James in an unusual position of having to remind people of his stature. Earlier this month in an episode of his talk show "The Shop," James said: "When they talk about the best scorers of all time, they never mention my name ... it pisses me off. It pisses me off. They don't ever bring my name into it."
The modern mindset often values the number of championships over all else. It's a simple and powerful measure but it also strips the nuance in a game where nuance has great beauty.
Before Jordan, this evergreen debate often centered around Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. They were contemporaries and friendly. Chamberlain piled up some of the greatest stats of all time, some of them directly against Russell, including his record 55-rebound game. But Russell stayed with one franchise and won 11 titles, while Chamberlain played for three teams and won two.
Most Career Regular-Season Points
RANK, PLAYER POINTS
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387
2. LeBron James 36,947*
3. Karl Malone 36,928
4. Kobe Bryant 33,643
*Through March 19
The championship scorecard between James and Jordan is tighter. Jordan's 6-0 mark in the Finals, though, is regarded as practically untouchable. James' ledger has 10 Finals appearances over a 13-year span with four different incarnations of teams and the first ever to win Finals MVPs with three different franchises.
Jordan retired twice between ages 29-37, whereas James picked himself up after four Finals losses in that same span, starting over twice and winning two titles. Those Finals losses are often used against James, but they actually are part of his longevity argument. He kept coming back, season after season, searching for an edge, remaking rosters and relocating when he thought championships might come elsewhere. Always being in the fight has become a calling card for James, something he stood on that differentiated himself from peers.
"I hold myself accountable as a leader, I'm going to be there with my teammates through the ups and through the downs. Every day I wake up with that responsibility," James said earlier this season, restating a sentiment he has preached for years. "I always want to be available for my team."
That availability and excellence over the past two decades pushed the 37-year-old James past Malone, who was almost indestructible for his 19 seasons (he played in 80 games or more 17 times). It will soon get him past Abdul-Jabbar, who made his last basket at age 41.
Whether James is able to convince the hearts and minds of the NBA public that he belongs at the top of the mountain is likely out of his control. But as he plays out the rest of a season that has seen its title chances obliterated, he's still chasing legacy. It's all he's got left.
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