Michael Jordan Speaks Out After LeBron James Passes His Scoring Mark
NBA legend Michael Jordan congratulated Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James for passing him on the all-time NBA scoring list.
With a driving layup with 5:38 left in the second quarter of the Lakers’ game against Denver on Wednesday, James surpassed his childhood idol in career points.
The layup gave James 32,292 career points, moving him into fourth place on the all-time list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387), Karl Malone (36,928) and Kobe Bryant (33,643).
? @KingJames moved up to 4th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with this AND-1! ? pic.twitter.com/gaJW6Gt1fL
— NBA (@NBA) March 7, 2019
“I want to congratulate LeBron on achieving another great milestone during his amazing career,” Jordan said in a statement, according to The Washington Post’s Ben Golliver.
Hornets owner Michael Jordan issues brief statement on LeBron James passing him on the NBA’s all-time scoring list: “I want to congratulate LeBron on achieving another great milestone during his amazing career.”
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) March 7, 2019
James had 31 points in the game, but it didn’t help much as the Lakers lost 115-99. It was their fourth straight loss as they fell to 30-35 — 6.5 games from the eighth playoff spot.
James reached the milestone in 1,190 games over 16 seasons. Jordan did it in 1,072 games over 15 seasons. However, Jordan took more shots (24,537) than James (23,297).
Jordan had a career scoring average of 30.1 points per game, while James’ career average is 27.2 points per game.
Jordan’s career ended in the spring of 2003 while James career began in the fall of 2003, so their careers never overlapped.
LeBron James could average 100 points-per-game over his next 50 games played and Michael Jordan would still be the all-time leader in points-per-game.
— Ryan M. Spaeder (@theaceofspaeder) March 7, 2019
Next on the list is Bryant, who had 33,643 points in 1,346 games over 20 seasons with a career scoring average of 25 points per game.
Currently, James is 6,076 points behind Abdul-Jabbar in the top spot. He has another 17 games this season, so by year’s end he’ll likely add another 400 to 450 points based on his current 27-point average. That would put him about 5,700 points behind Abdul-Jabbar.
NBA’s all-time scoring leaders
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points)
2. Karl Malone (36,928)
3. Kobe Bryant (33,643)
4. LEBRON JAMES (32,294 & counting)
5. Michael Jordan (32,292) pic.twitter.com/LziHbwiN7a— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) March 7, 2019
James has averaged about 2,000 points per season for his career, so with three more years left on his contract with the Lakers, he has a really good chance of surpassing Abdul-Jabbar in the next three seasons.
That’s assuming, of course, he doesn’t suffer any major injuries.
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