Justin Termine throws light on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as LeBron James nears scoring record: “We aren’t paying respect to Kareem?"

LeBron James looks to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA scoring title. The LA Lakers star should break the iconic milestone sometime in the next couple of weeks. The leading scorer in NBA history shows the type of career that not only LeBron has put together, but also Abdul-Jabbar.

While this has continued to be the topic of discussion because of how big of a deal it is, NBA analyst Justin Termine said that the world must also realize what Kareem did. It seems as if people are only talking about LeBron's achievement and not the fact that Kareem did this in an era where scoring was at a premium:

"When we are celebrating LeBron, we should also be celebrating Kareem Abdul-Jabbar," Termine said.

Abdul-Jabbar, whose majestic skyhook is one of the most legendary shots in basketball history, is a six-time NBA champion, six-time MVP, two-time NBA Finals champ, an 11-time All-Defensive team selection and 19-time All-Star. He led the league in scoring twice, in blocks four times and in rebounds once.

Abdul-Jabbar was so dominant at UCLA that the NCAA banned dunking after his sophomore season, his first in college (because freshmen couldn't compete in varsity play). He won three NCAA championships at UCLA and was the consensus national college player of the year, the Final Four Most Outstanding Player and a consensus first-team All-American in all three seasons.

The Bruins went 88-2 with Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor).

Abdul-Jabbar's No. 33 is retired by UCLA, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Lakers.

Basketball icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

LeBron James closing on scoring record

LeBron James, who has 38,230 points, has spoken about what breaking the scoring record would mean to him. James is the ultimate competitor, and he's made it clear that he would rather win championships than break records.

"I want to win," James said in January. "That's not sitting well with me. I don’t like having accomplishments, and they don’t feel right when it comes in a losing effort.

"As I've continued to climb the ranks, it's natural, human, to look at it and see where you are and see if it's even possible. We'll see what happens. I've never chased a record in my life. I've never sat down and said, 'OK, let me see if I can get this record, let me see if I can get that record.' ...

LeBron realizes that this is a huge deal, despite wanting to win more. Even though the Lakers have struggled a good bit the past two seasons, the scoring title is still something that he feels proud about. He's a humble superstar, so he's mostly just proud of what he's done in his career.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who retired in 1989 with 38,387 points and has held the crown since April 1984, can tell that his record will be broken shortly, and instead of being upset about it, he says that he's proud of LeBron. Kareem also realizes that this is something that was eventually going to be broken. Now, many people don't ever think that someone else will be able to break it after LeBron does.

"I'm excited to see it happen," Abdul-Jabbar said. "I don't see records as personal accomplishments, but more as human achievements. "If one person can do something that's never been done, that means we all have a shot at doing it. It's a source of hope and inspiration.

"Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile back in 1954. Since then, not only have 1,400 runners beaten that time, but the new record is 17 seconds less. We all win when a record is broken, and if LeBron breaks mine, I will be right there to cheer him on."

This will be one of the greatest days in NBA history, and it's certainly deserved by LeBron James.