PRESS BOX: LeBron James becomes all-time scoring leader, GOAT

Thailon Wilson, Staff Writer

Lakers small forward LeBron James surpassed NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer on Feb. 7. 

“The kid from Akron” played against the Oklahoma City Thunder and dropped 38 points, according to ESPN. 

James scored a fadeaway midrange jumper to finally dethrone the scoring record that Abdul-Jabbar held for over 40 years, according to CBS Sports. 

Abdul-Jabbar said in an interview with People that he is proud to see James break the record and it made him “love” the game once again.

“LeBron makes me love the game again,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “He makes me proud to be a part of an ever-changing group of athletes who actively care about their community.”

The 20-year journey that James has partaken on thus far to become the record holder is a cultivation of James’ ability to stay healthy and consistently perform.

Fox Sports commentator Shannon Sharpe said on his show “Undisputed” that the moment LeBron made that jump shot created a memory for so many people.

“Even though the Lakers didn’t end up winning the game, the people in the crowd were still so happy because of what they were able to witness,” Sharpe said. “We don’t know if we’ll ever witness it again.” 

So many household names went to witness James attempt to break the record, from Abdul-Jabbar himself to rapper Jay-Z and actor Denzel Washington.

Skip Bayless who is Sharpe’s partner on “Undisputed” is known to be highly critical of James, but even he gave James his homage for passing Abdul-Jabbar as the all time leading scorer.

“He’s the greatest driver-to-the-rim basketball player I have ever seen,” Bayless said. “From the day he stepped on the court as a 18 year-old in Sacramento to this very day.” 

When that fadeaway shot entered the hoop with 10.9 seconds left to go in the third quarter, the crowd went wild.

It was finally official that Abdul-Jabbar had passed the torch to James and as a result of the torch passing, a standing ovation happened in the middle of the game.

As I sat in my room and watched the game, I could personally say that I have never seen someone get a standing ovation in the middle of a game to that magnitude. 

As Abdul-Jabbar mentioned the community of athletes that care about their community, James has put in the work on and off the court.

In 2018, James helped to create a school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio to help provide a place for underprivileged children in his own community and provide resources to set them up for success down the road, according to CNN. 

James is also an avid speaker on police brutality and Black disenfranchisement, as he demonstrated throughout his career especially throughout the 2010’s with the increase in social media usage.

As a response to James’ push for the solving of systemic issues that James is protesting against, in 2018, a Fox conservative talk show host, Laura Ingraham said that James should “shut up and dribble.”

“Keep the political commentary to yourself, and as someone once said ‘shut up and dribble,’” Ingraham said.

James responded in 2020 during the Black Lives Matter protests drawing a similarity of Ingraham’s words to how police discriminate against Black people in a collage video.

These accomplishments on the court and off the court have made him a beacon within the Black community and makes his ascension to the all-time leading scorer even more special that he did it during Black History Month.

James’ historic night represented to many Black boys and girls who grew up in harsh conditions and, or troubling circumstances like he grew up in that they can do great things and be a beacon of Black excellence.

As a huge basketball fan, James has been an inspiration to me as a Black man who strives to be the best that I can be.

With all the accolades and his style of play on the court as well as who he is off the court, I can comfortably say that LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of all time.