LeBron James will surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record, but the era of load management means he might reign supreme forever

In the coming weeks, LeBron James will further cement himself in the history books. The LA Lakers star is rapidly approaching passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

When Abdul-Jabbar, with 38,387 points, set the record nearly 40 years ago, nobody thought another player would come close to passing him. However, in his 20th season, James is less than 100 points away from claiming the top spot, at 38,299.

James' conquest of Abdul-Jabbar's iconic mark will be a testament to his longevity and dominance in the league. When he retires, no player will be able to say they were that good for that long. Due to his ability to maintain a high level of play over two decades, he will be among the all-time leaders in multiple statistical categories.

As James gets ready to make history, many are starting to talk about who could be next to break the record. While players start their NBA journey at a younger age now, one thing might get in the way of them ever passing LeBron.

In this era of the NBA, load management has become an all too familiar term. Players have always had rest days, but the practice is hitting extreme levels. One of the prime examples of this is Kawhi Leonard. Since the 2017 season, he has sat out at least 20 games a year. Even though guys are still scoring at a high level, this lack of availability might cost them a shot climbing up the scoring ranks.

Part of why LeBron was able to reach this mark is because he keeps his body in great shape. This allows him to be in the lineup on a nightly basis. Injuries and the pandemic derailed the past few years, but at his peak James was playing in 74 to 80 games a year. Players today simply don't maintain that kind of workload.

Which current players have a shot at someday breaking LeBron James' scoring record?

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As far as active players go, Kevin Durant is the closest to passing LeBron James in the scoring column. He is 14th on the scoring list with 26,684 points.

That being said, Durant missed the entire 2019-20 season because of an Achilles tendon injury and played 27, 35 and 55 games of three other seasons, possibly costing him his chance. He'll be 35 when the next season begins, and James will continue to push the record in the future.

Looking at some younger players, Giannis Antetokounmpo is an interesting name to watch. At 28 years old, he is still at the peak of his powers. On top of being a dominant force, he is a competitor who likes to be on the floor nightly. If he can manage to keep his body in good shape, he might come close to the LA Lakers star years down the road.

Antetokounmpo has 15,598 points, good for 128th of all time.

Going even further down the list, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker might also have an opportunity to flirt with this record. Despite only being 26, he already has eight NBA seasons under his belt. As one of the top scorers in the league, he should quickly climb up the all-time list during his prime. He'll turn 27 in October and has 12,003 points.

Luka Doncic, who turns 24 next month, has 8,500 points.

The load-management era might stop a player from passing this milestone, but there are a few who might be able to break the mold and come close.