The King has assumed his release as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
LeBron James’ jumper to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s long-standing record will go down as one of the most memorable moments in NBA history.
“Undisputed” co-host Shannon Sharpe was in the building on Tuesday night to witness James’ unforgettable achievement.
“Just the atmosphere, the moment, the buzz, you could feel the electricity in the building,” Sharpe reflected on the night. “It was just a magical moment … Knowing that LeBron James became the all-time leader in points in NBA history, and I was there, that’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
Skip Bayless wasn’t at Crypto.com Arena to see the record fall, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t invested. The “Undisputed” co-host was confident from the moment James took the floor that it would be a night to remember.
“You could tell by the number one dribble. He was a man on a mission,” Bayless said. “I just had the body language of, ‘I’m going to do this.'” … Denzel [Washington] and Jay-Z were there, you give me these two, now it’s official, it’s a night of nights, a moment of moments.
“It felt like it had to be. And the amazing part to me was that he did it in three quarters.”
LeBron James becomes the NBA’s all-time leading scorer
Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe react as LeBron James passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
So how impressive was the puck in Sharpe’s eyes?
“I remember the 100-script record used to be broken almost every year,” Sharpe said. “But when you have a record for 40 years… look at the level he’s still playing at in 20 at 38… I can assure you he’s not on the decline. Nobody can say LeBron James isn’t top – 10 player in the NBA…do you realize the guy is in the top five in assists? You’ll never see that again…Averaging 27 points per game for 20 years?…I don’t know if not the most impressive record in basketball history.”
It’s no secret that Sharpe thinks “GOAT James” is the best thing they’ve ever done, and while Bayless doesn’t agree, he fully appreciates James’ impressive body of work. This Bayless stat sums up how improbable James’ greatness is.
“Brooklyn Nets’ Cam Thomas … has scored 40+ points in three straight games. He’s now the youngest player to do that … If we take young Cam, and say LeBron is going to stop today and never will score another point, Cam would average 40 a game for 936 straight games — that’s 82 of them every year for 11-plus seasons … to eclipse what LeBron just did. It’s impossible.” .
Now that James officially has one of the most impressive records in all of sports, has Bayless warmed to the idea that he’s the greatest basketball player of all time?
“I’m not taking anything away from what LeBron just accomplished, but if we switch gears to GOAT, it’s not even close.” Bayless concluded. “I don’t even understand how to start making a case.”
The debate over the greatest NBA player of all time will continue, but that doesn’t take away from a special moment Tuesday night that NBA fans will never forget.
“People know what they witnessed,” Shape said. “And they don’t know if they’ll ever witness something like that again.”
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