By Jacob Ervin, Senior Reporter
The third quarter is winding down at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, California, as more than 19,000 fans stand waiting to witness history.
Lebron James catches a pass from Russell Westbrook at the elbow with 18 seconds left, sizes up his defender, dribbles to the free throw line, fades, then shoots the shot heard around the world.
On Feb. 7, James scored his 38,388th career point as a player in the National Basketball Association during a regular season game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. With this point total, James officially became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
This record, which was previously held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, had been thought of as one of the most unbreakable records in all of sports.
Up until the past five years, average fans and many sports analysts alike claimed that it would be next to impossible for James to accomplish this feat, but the kid from Akron, who had been labeled the “Chosen One,” once again lived up to the title.
The crowd in the Crypto.com Arena was filled with celebrities and other wealthy people, with some having paid over $90,000 for tickets to get a close view of the event. Along with the more than 19,000 fans in attendance, more than 3 million people tuned in to watch James officially become the league’s all-time leading scorer.
While this game became the focus of the sports world, James’ title of all-time leader in points was not the result of this one game, but rather the cumulation of 20 extraordinary years as a player in the NBA. This is a rare achievement, as only 10 players have ever played 20 seasons in the 75-year history of the NBA.
What is even more impressive is how James managed to take advantage of these years. Since entering the league, James has played 1,410 games and counting; he has scored fewer than 10 points in eight of those games, and the last time he scored fewer than 10 was 15 years ago.
The longevity combined with consistency is something that is unique to James’ career that helped him to achieve this historic record and makes him stand out in debates of who is the greatest player to ever play basketball.
Following this once-in-a-generation achievement, the league suspended play between the Thunder and Lakers in order to celebrate his accomplishment.
James has stated that he plans to play several more seasons if he is able to in order to have an opportunity to play in the NBA with his oldest son, Bronny James, and possibly his youngest son, Bryce James.Considering James is currently averaging 30.1 points per game, he still has plenty of time to increase his lead as the all-time scorer in the NBA and increase his resume as the greatest of all time.