This past Tuesday night, the sports world was in total awe as LeBron James officially became the NBA’s all time leading scorer, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had held the record since 1984. Passing Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points, and now being at 38,390, LeBron once again etched his name into the history books, as that record will be one that won’t be broken for a long time. 

The kid from Akron, Ohio truly lived up to the spotlight that has been on him ever since the early 2000’s. What LeBron James has been able to do throughout his career has been nothing short of extraordinary. The four time NBA champion, and the four time NBA Finals MVP has easily been one of the most recognizable sports figures in the century. Starting as a one of a kind high school prospect to becoming the highest all time point scorer in NBA history shows that LeBron James has sustained next level quality in his game throughout his whole career.

What is just as astonishing about LeBron James is that he shows no sign of slowing down, and in an interview he stated that he would continue to play till he plays with his own son on the basketball court. On Tuesday night, James needed a whopping 36 points to break the record, and just looking at him walk into the arena, fans everywhere knew that Tuesday night would be the night. He scored 38 points in the game despite a team loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder 133-130. The thing about LeBron is that he was undoubtedly going to break the record on Tuesday, yet he did so by the third quarter. Scoring that many points that quickly just shows how he knew that he was going to do it on his own terms.

James, who started out with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, has been the face of the sport for so long that it can be easy to forget everything he has accomplished throughout his career. Over the span of 20+ years, James has achieved the following: 4x NBA champion, 4x NBA Finals MVP, 4x NBA Most Valuable Players, 19x NBA All Star, 3x Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year, 2x Olympic gold medalist, and 2x National high school player of the year. 

While there is so much more than wasn’t included in that, it is quite obvious to see the impact that James has had on the sport. Does this record change the G.O.A.T debate between him and 90’s legend, Michael Jordan? Well, that’s still up for debate with many convincing arguments for both sides. Still, it’s impossible to deny his greatness and I am sure that in the next 20, 30, and even 40 years and beyond that LeBron James will be talked about as one of the greatest athletes of the 21st century.