LeBron James is just a few games from NBA history. (Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports)
LeBron James keeps moving forward, even on nights when he’s exiting regulation in open outrage at officials.
James entered Saturday night’s game against the Boston Celtics and needed just 158 points to overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. He finished the night with 41 points on 15 of 30 shots (6 of 12 from deep) with nine rebounds and eight assists.
James is now just 117 points from Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time mark.
That performance was just part of a wild game against the top Eastern Conference Boston Celtics, who were saved by a questionable no-call on a potential James game winner to go for a 125-121 win in overtime. James was outraged at the missed foul which would have earned him two free throws to break a tie at the end of the rule.
It’s only a matter of time before LeBron James breaks the goal record
James is fast approaching the goal-scoring record while still playing incredible basketball. After Saturday’s game, he has averaged 30.2 points in 40 games this season, which would be the third-best total in his two decades in the league.
James averaged 20.9 points per game as a rookie and hasn’t dropped below that pace since. He’s on track to break Abdul-Jabbar’s record in 100+ games fewer than his fellow Lakers greats. Abdul-Jabbar matched his tally of 38,387 points in 1,560 games; The Lakers’ game against the Spurs was the 1,405. in James’ career.
Season pace has James en route to passing Abdul-Jabbar against the New Orleans Pelicans on Feb. 4. Here’s the upcoming Lakers game list as James tracks one of the recent major milestones in his basketball career.
Monday: at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Tuesday: at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
February 2: at Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m. ET
February 4: at New Orleans Pelicans, 8 p.m. ET
February 7: vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, 10:30 p.m. ET
February 9: vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 10 p.m. ET (TNT)
The story goes on
February 11: at Golden State Warriors, 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
13th February: at Portland Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. ET
February 15: vs. New Orleans Pelicans, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN)