Denver: Basketball icon LeBron James added yet another milestone to his legendary career by surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most field goals in National Basketball Association history, even as the Los Angeles Lakers fell 120–113 to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
James scored 16 points in the defeat and broke Abdul-Jabbar’s long-standing record of 15,837 field goals during the first quarter. The achievement adds to a growing list of historic feats for the 41-year-old, who is currently playing in an unprecedented 23rd NBA season.
The Lakers superstar had already overtaken Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in February 2023. Last year, James also became the first player in league history to surpass 50,000 combined points across regular season and playoffs. He now has 43,127 regular-season points, extending his lead at the top.
“Being mentioned with some of the greatest to ever play this game has always been humbling,” James said after the game. “I grew up watching and idolising a lot of the greats. If I was able to be part of the NBA, I wanted to put myself in a position where I could be mentioned with them by doing something right. It’s a pretty cool feat, but it’s still hard for me to wrap my head around it.”
Lakers head coach JJ Redick compared the longevity and evolution of James’ career to that of legendary musician Bruce Springsteen.
“You get to the end and realise the greatest hits catalogue is unbelievable,” Redick said. “LeBron’s greatest hits just keep growing. He keeps playing, and the catalogue keeps expanding.”
Abdul-Jabbar, a six-time NBA champion who spent the majority of his 20-year career with the Lakers before retiring in 1989, finished with 55.9% shooting from 28,307 attempts. James currently holds a 51.6% field-goal percentage, highlighting his remarkable consistency over two decades.
James is also closing in on another longevity milestone. Thursday’s game marked his 1,606th regular-season appearance, leaving him just five short of the record held by Robert Parish.
The four-time NBA champion was selected to his 22nd All-Star Game this season, though he has yet to decide whether he will return for another campaign.
In Thursday’s contest, Denver’s All-Star duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray scored 28 points each to help the Nuggets secure victory and remain fifth in the Western Conference standings, just ahead of the Lakers.
Elsewhere, the in-form San Antonio Spurs registered their 13th win in 14 games as rising star Victor Wembanyama delivered a dominant performance with 38 points and 16 rebounds in a 121–106 victory over the Detroit Pistons, who currently lead the Eastern Conference standings.
Source: BBC
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