LeBron James is officially the NBA’s all-time leading scorer … the Lakers superstar passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most points logged in league history on Tuesday night.
James accomplished the feat against the Oklahoma City Thunder … in front of a Crypto.com Arena crowd that featured a slew of celebs and former athletes — including Abdul-Jabbar himself.
LBJ needed 36 points to pass Kareem heading into the game … and after scoring 20 in the first half, he got the rest in the third quarter.
A fadeaway jumper earned him the record — and the game was stopped so James could be honored. During the break, James was swarmed by his family members and friends — as a hype video for James played on the arena’s jumbotron.
Commissioner Adam Silver also spoke at center court following the record-breaking basket … telling LeBron, “You are the NBA’s all-time scoring leader. Congratulations.” Abdul-Jabbar then passed a basketball to the future Hall of Famer, and gave him a hug.
James wiped away tears, before he took the mic and thanked the crowd in attendance. He finished his thank you speech by saying, “F***, man!”
The record is a monumental one — after Kareem set it in 1984 … many believed it would never be touched again. But James got the 38,388 that he needed in the 1,410th game of his career — accomplishing the feat in 150 games less than KAJ did.
James was as consistent as one could possibly be in his chase for the record — never averaging less than 20.9 points per game in a season. In fact, in his 20th NBA season this year, the 38-year-old is averaging 30 points per game.