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LeBron James has played at an elite level this year, even as the LA Lakers have been underwhelming. He's shown no signs of slowing down despite his age.
The next biggest individual milestone ahead for him is the NBA's all-time scoring record held by legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. James has 37,062 points, while Abdul-Jabbar retired in 1989 with 38,387. The historic accomplishment could happen next season.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green recently said he wants to attend the game in which James breaks the record. That drew some backlash after fans thought he would purposefully skip a game. Green revisited that comment Thursday while speaking with Sports Illustrated. He stressed that his comments were taken the wrong way.
“If someone is that stupid to think I am going to miss providing for my family to go watch someone else provide for theirs, they got bigger issues,” Green said.
LA Lakers star LeBron James chases down all-time scoring record
While the LA Lakers' roster changes will be a big focus next season, LeBron James' pursuit of the all-time scoring record will also draw attention.
The NBA's career scoring record belongs to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Hall of Fame big man totaled 38,387 points during his 20 seasons.
James has 37,062 points. He has been ruled out for Thursday night's game at the Golden State Warriors, with two games remaining this season.
James, who has piled up 1,695 points this season alone, needs 1,326 points to surpass Abdul-Jabbar. James, who has averaged 30.1 points per game this season, should be on pace to pass Abdul-Jabbar next season. He has a career scoring average of 27.1 ppg. Going by his career average, it would take 49 games for James to reach the iconic milestone.
James has played fewer games in the regular season over the past four seasons. He played in 55 of 82 in 2018-19, 67 of 72 in 2019-20, 45 of 72 last season and 56 through 80 games (including Wednesday) this season. Those are four of the five lowest totals in his 19-year career.
The Lakers (31-48) will be a team to monitor closely as they attempt to rebound after a disappointing season. With James turning 38 next season and Los Angeles needing to make changes, the organization will draw plenty of attention, as usual.
