Scoring tracker LeBron James: How close is he to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record?

From his early days playing basketball, LeBron James considered himself more of a passer than a scorer. But he was always dynamic on the edge, and later in his NBA career he developed a shooting touch that made him more dangerous offensively.

Twenty years of perfecting how to attack NBA defenses has brought James to the cusp of a historic feat that once seemed nearly impossible for anyone to reach.

James, the Los Angeles Lakers star, is 178 points away from his career with a total of 38,387 points. Abdul-Jabbar is the professional scoring leader in the NBA ever since April 5, 1984 More than eight months before James was born. Abdul-Jabbar played five more seasons with the Lakers after being passed Wilt Chamberlain to this address.

With James closing in on the record, he increased his scoring production to 35 points per game in January, up from 28.5 points per game in the first three months of the season. This season and 2021-22 were two of the highest scores of his career. Although it would be tough, he could break the record against the Knicks on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, one of his favorite arenas. After four games, the Lakers will host the Milwaukee Bucks in a match between the two NBA teams, in which Abdul-Jabbar played.

Lakers schedule

• Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs

• Saturday @ Boston Celtics

• Monday @ nets

• Tuesday @ nix

• Feb 2 @ Indiana Pacers

• Feb 4 @ New Orleans Pelicans

• February 7 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

• February 9 vs. Milwaukee Bucks

Here are some of James’ standout performances this season:

January 24 vs. Los Angeles Clippers: 46 points

The Clippers took a huge lead early on, and from then on the only aspect of the game that seemed to work in the Lakers’ favor was James’ long-range shooting. James made nine three-pointers, a career high, in 14 attempts.

James finished the night with 46 points, marking the first time he scored at least 40 points against the Clippers. He is now the first player ever to score at least 40 points in a game against all 30 NBA teams.

Despite James’ good night, the Lakers lost, 133-115, which left James depressed when he was benched at the end of the game.

The Lakers had just come off close losses to the Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers and were on a three-game losing streak. James has had several great performances in losses this season, but he enjoys them even more when the team wins. This match was his highest scoring game of the season, and came on the second night of a consecutive game.

He also got a reminder of his age when Houston rookie Jabari Smith Jr. told him during a game that his father played against him in James’ first NBA game in 2003. At 38, James is one of the oldest players in the league.

“I could have easily taken tonight off,” James said after the match, “but I don’t feel our ball club’s momentum can be used to get me through tonight.” “I don’t feel like I wanted to sit through that loss to Philly last night. I kind of wanted to get that out of my taste buds.”

December 2 at Milwaukee Bucks: 28 points

This wasn’t one of James’ highest scoring games, but it was one that showed the potential of the Lakers when they are at full steam. Anthony Davis was healthy and scored 44 points as the Lakers beat one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference on the road.

James’ 11 assists that allowed him pass Magic Johnson for the sixth-most assists in NBA history. It was also his 900th career win.