The NBA all-time scoring record belonged to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for nearly four decades.
However, back in 2023, Los Angeles Lakers legend LeBron James surpassed ‘The Captain’.
Though ‘King James’ has plenty of achievements to his name, this one stands out as one of the most significant in his career.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hails LeBron James’ efforts for all-time scoring record – with a hint of shade
Abdul-Jabbar made an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show recently, where he opened up about a number of topics.
One of those was how he really felt about James breaking the record he held for nearly four decades.
“LeBron has earned it, he’s worked hard. I mean, more power to him. I didn’t really play to deal with records,” Abdul-Jabbar said.
He added: “I wanted to lead my team to the championship. I was fortunate enough to be on the winning team six times, and I was Finals MVP twice, and I’m satisfied with that.”
No one questions how tough it is to win an NBA title, so it’s easy to see why Abdul-Jabbar values his six rings more than holding the all-time scoring record.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reflects on LeBron James’ ‘remarkable career’
Maintaining an average of 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game over 22 years is no small feat. That’s what James has done as he prepares for his 23rd season in the NBA.
While Abdul-Jabbar placed a premium on winning championships during his playing days, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t taken notice of what LeBron has accomplished across two decades at the top level.
“You can’t have everything for too long. Records were made to be broken, and more power to LeBron,” Kareem added.
“I hope he enjoys it, does all that he wants to do during his career and after his career. He’s had an incredible career.”
James has more than held up his end of the bargain on the court, but Abdul-Jabbar is just as impressed with what he’s managed away from basketball.
“He does things, incredible things, off the court and on the court,” Kareem continued.
“Off the court, he sent a whole school district to college. And then on the court, he’s crushed everybody for 20 years now.
“So he deserves it and I hope he enjoys it.”
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