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LeBron James made NBA history on Tuesday by passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time scoring leader. However, considering how long Kareem's record stood, we take a look at who could potentially pass LeBron next.
LeBron James racked up an impressive 38 points against the OKC Thunder before sitting out the final moments of the game due to a suspected injury. By passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James has solidified his legacy as one of the best to ever do so.
However, given that Kareem's record has stood for almost 39 years, how long is James' record expected to stand?
LeBron himself has mentioned a couple of players who he believes could potentially break the record. As far as active players go, Kevin Durant is closest in line to reaching LeBron at the moment.
With close to 27,000 points, Durant is the only active player in the top 30 of the NBA's all-time scoring leaders. Meanwhile, players such as Steph Curry and DeMar DeRozan also have a chance.
In this regard, it may be important to note the age of the candidates who are currently closest to breaking the record. As mentioned, Durant is the closest competitor. However, at the age of 34, KD has a few productive years left before his age starts factoring in.
We have already seen signs of this as Durant suffers injuries that keep him sidelined for significant portions of the season. While KD’s scoring prowess is seen listed as one of the greatest offensive minds in basketball history, he may not be able to surpass LeBron.
As for Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors superstar already made history last season by becoming the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers made. However, purely from the scoring front, Curry, who is aged 34, doesn’t even rank among the top 30 in the NBA's all-time points.
With all this in mind, it seems hard to say that any player in the current generation has the capacity to break LeBron’s record. However, the same was thought of Kareem, who held the record for nearly 39 years.
Several factors, including consistency and longevity, influence the capacity to surpass James. With some talented new players joining the league every season, one can expect some new players to make a run.
New generation players who could break LeBron James' record
As mentioned earlier, there are only a handful of players in the current generation who could close in on LeBron James' record. While Kevin Durant has been mentioned as a close competitor, with over 10,000 points separating the two, KD will have his work cut out for him.
In this regard, it may be up to the new or next generation to pursue breaking the record. Given the quality of offensive players in the league today, the NBA could see some tight competition for the scoring record.
With the likes of Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo putting up ridiculous numbers every other night, James may have to work hard to ensure his record stands the test of time.
Guess the Lakers players!
