By: ELIAN GOMEZ / STAFF REPORTER
Superstar forward LeBron James broke the NBA all-time scoring record in a Tuesday night game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. James has surpassed Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points.
The anticipated moment has been a hot topic of discussion around the league and its fans, and many have congratulated LeBron via Twitter for his accomplishment:
Abdul-Jabbar set the scoring record in April of 1984 by hitting his signature skyhook. James took his place in the NBA record book by hitting a 14-foot fadeaway jumper with 10 seconds left in the third quarter.
After hitting the shot, James was embraced by friends and family congratulating him. The game was put on hold for about 10 minutes in order to celebrate the historical accomplishment. During the first part of the ceremony, a tribute video of James’ career and legacy was played, during which LeBron grew emotional and teared up.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Abdul-Jabbar took to the court with James. Where Abdul-Jabbar passed the game ball to James to represent the passing of the record.
During his celebration speech, James remained visibly emotional, appearing in awe of the milestone he has reached. He proceeded to state:
“Everybody that has ever been a part of this run with me the last 20-plus years, I want to say thank you so much because I wouldn’t be me without all y’all. All y’all helped. All y’all’s passion and sacrifices helped me to get to this point. To my beautiful wife, my daughter, my two boys, my friends, my boys, my family, my mother ... everybody who’s ever been a part of this ride with me the last 20-plus years, I just want to say I thank you so much.”
“And to the NBA to Adam Silver, to the late great David Stern, thank you very much for allowing me to be a part of something I always dreamed about. I would never ever in a million years dreamt this even better than what it is tonight.”
James finished by dropping an expletive on national television: “F***, man, thank you guys,” and continued in celebration with relatives, including his sons Bronny and Bryce James. LeBron was also congratulated by his wife Savannah James and Grammy award winning rap and hip-hop artist and founder of Roc Nation Jay-Z.
James needed 36 points to break the record, and he did just that by ending the game with 38 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
Thoughts From Fans
University students were asked about their thoughts on LeBron breaking the all-time scoring record, and how it impacts his legacy.
Vincent Mendoza, LIU freshman majoring in Sports Communications and Marketing, stated:
“It's a milestone, it's one of the most historic moments in NBA history, and the fact that I’ve grown up watching LeBron James pretty much my entire life, you know, to see him score this many points is absolutely ridiculous.”
Mendoza added that the debate on the Greatest Player of All Time (GOAT) won’t really fluctuate, as it mainly comes down to generational perspective and bias.
Chase Goodman, also a freshman majoring in Sports Communications and Marketing, pitched in by saying:
“Personally, my take on LeBron James eventually surpassing Kareem’s record is honestly, good for him, to have grown up watching him play almost his entire career is just something that I find I am really thankful for, but also we'll also look forward to seeing a new generation in Luka Doncic especially hopefully surpassing LeBron at some point.”
In terms of his legacy and status as the potential GOAT, Goodman added:
“It definitely adds to his resume, in my opinion it strengthens his case, because you also have to factor that Jordan did retire for 2 seasons, so we will never know if Jordan would have ever gotten this close [to record].”
Joseph Kallan, a third year Journalism student at Hofstra University added his thoughts on this historical event:
“I think Lebron James is the true testament of being in one of the toughest in league sports while having both longevity and success. Lebron was a majority of people’s number one in the infamous “who’s the greatest player of all time?” question, and I think Lebron has further cemented his legacy and career as the number one scorer, breaking a record that stood for over 40 years.”
On whether James is now the G.O.A.T., Kallan thinks:
“Personally, I believe Lebron still has to win another ring in order to become the absolute greatest, but only time will tell.”
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