LeBron James made headlines last season by breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record. James currently holds the top spot with 38,652 points to his name.
But many believe James achieved this record only because of insane longevity. After all, LeBron has been playing in the league since he was 18 years old. Former NBA player Spencer Haywood believes he deserves credit for the King breaking the record as well.
“Oh, he’s going to add to the record but, you also have to think: He would not have broken that record if he didn’t have four extra years that Spencer Haywood provided for him,” Haywood told on Scoop B Selects. “Because before I came along, you had to wait for four years before you got into the pros. So LeBron was able to come in from out of high school so he’s got 8,000 plus because of what I did.
“So it’s a beautiful thing to see and to see Kareem is on the acceptance level that says, ‘You know? He broke this record,’ because all of these records are going to be interesting.”
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The Hall of Famer created controversy when ABA allowed him to enter the league after his sophomore season at the University of Detroit.
At the time, players were required to wait for four years after graduating from high school. Even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar entered the league at 22 years old. James, on the other hand, entered the league as an 18-year-old.
James scored 8,439 during the first four seasons of his career. Had James not been allowed to enter straight from high school, he may never have broken Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Inspiration Message To LeBron James After Becoming NBA’s All-Time Scoring Leader
For years, LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar didn’t share any relationship. Keeping that in mind, many believed that Abdul-Jabbar wouldn’t even congratulate James for breaking his record.
Well, Kareem proved everyone wrong. He was present at the game when James surpassed him as the NBA’s all-time scoring leader. In addition, the 76-year-old also sent an inspirational message to James.
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