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LeBron James is on his way to breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record this season. However, former NBA player John Salley thinks that James won't be able to break it anytime soon.
The LA Lakers have started slowly this season, but James' goal to break Abdul-Jabbar's has given the team energy. Through nine games, the 18-time All-Star is averaging 24.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 7.1 assists. Despite this, Salley thinks the NBA won't allow James to break the scoring record.
Salley brought up Kobe Bryant's legendary 81-point performance. On Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast, the former Detroit Piston said:
"I think they are not going to let him get it ... LeBron," Salley said. "I didn't agree with something Phil Jackson said to me and then, I got into my 50s, and I got it. ... I said, 'Phil, Kobe had 81. he was about to get 104.' And he said, 'Well, some records need to stand. ... He's No. 2. He doesn't need to be No. 1.'"
Still, even with Salley's assessment, it would be controversial if the league does something to halt LeBron James this season. People expect the 6-foot-8 forward to break the record early in 2023. With the struggles that Los Angeles has faced this season, breaking the record could bring positive energy to the Lakers.
As for Salley's recollection of the Black Mamba's 81-point game, there seems to be some inconsistencies.
If you're interested, watch all of Bryant's buckets from his legendary performance here.
LeBron James and the LA Lakers are in trouble
Issues from the previous season (33-49) have come back to haunt the Lakers (2-8) as they weren't able to fix them over the summer. The only team in the Western Conference with a worse record is the Houston Rockets (2-9).
It's understandable to see the Rockets at the bottom of the West standings. The team is full of young prospects trying to find their stride. They also lack a ton of starpower, which is understandable for a rebuilding team.
But the Lakers? They should be performing better.
The Lakers have enough veterans to keep them from languishing. They also have a big three in LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. However, the lack of floor spacing has hurt them big time. Los Angeles is shooting a league-worst 29.1% from 3-point range.
First-year coach Darvin Ham has tried different lineups, but it looks like there is no hope for them to reach the playoffs. If general manager Rob Pelinka starts making moves, however, they might get a chance to be relevant again.
