LeBron James is one of the big heads in the G.O.A.T. debates. Out of the countless awards and accolades, he’s racked up, the one he set today takes the highest precedence. The Los Angeles Lakers were fresh off an OT win against the Toronto Raptors. They were taking on the Washington Wizards in a back-to-back game.
After LeBron’s 36 point performance in the Win against Toronto, he needed less than 20 points to pass Malone. The game against the Wizards tonight was definitely where he’d do it. However, there were some rumors of him sitting out tonight so that he could get the number 2 spot in his hometown Cleveland. When LeBron was announced to start tonight, everyone did expect something special to unfold tonight.
LeBron James is now second on NBA’s all-time scoring list
Last week, LeBron James became the 1st player in NBA history to have 10k points, rebounds, and assists. Tonight he trumped that milestone by passing Karl Malone on the scoring list. In the 2nd quarter, with 5:23 left, a cutting LeBron James got a bounce pass in between 4 Wizards defenders. LeBron made the layup and the announcers went mental as James had just become the 2nd player on the NBA all-time scoring list.
LeBron finished the game with 38 points, his name in the record books, and another loss on the season. James and his Lakers spoiled the celebrations by choking 16 point lead. LA was outscored by 14 points in the 4th. The final score of the contest was 119-127, with LA losing by 8. However, nothing was surprising about the outcome as the Lakers have not shown any consistency this season.
LeBron was asked about his thoughts on the milestone but his reply showed that the loss is what affected him more. “I can’t separate the fact that we weren’t able to get this win…. at the end of the day, all I care about is wins and losses.”
LeBron James shares his thoughts on moving to number 2 on the all-time leading scorers list. pic.twitter.com/elvbDLoX18
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 20, 2022
LeBron is now just 1440 points behind Kareem and having the biggest chip in the G.O.A.T. debate. But will LeBron be able to achieve this milestone and be successful?