With the season on the line, LeBron James responded in the only way he knows how: with brilliance and excellence.
And as the Lakers made a run on Sunday, to the cheers of Crypto.com Arena, James reached yet another milestone in his storied career.
The 5x Champion has officially become the second (and the youngest) player ever to score 37,000 career points.
37,000 points.
37 years old.
LeBron James just keeps going. pic.twitter.com/OxFVsDQ5i0
— NBA (@NBA) March 27, 2022
On Twitter, fans reacted with praise and celebration, looking ahead to the moment he’ll pass Kareem on the NBA’s All-Time scoring list.
Also the youngest player to reach every 1,000 point mark from 1,000 to 37k🤷♂️🐐 pic.twitter.com/kefa0yg8tb
— The CaruShow 🐐 (@BaldMambaSZN) March 27, 2022
https://twitter.com/shadowlakers/status/1508232135584489476https://twitter.com/carmo__alef/status/1508232200440926210https://twitter.com/golvera22/status/1508232192685576198
this officially makes him the goat
— 𝗣³🎒 (@JayHatin) March 28, 2022
He’s just built different
— cesar munoz (@cesarmunoz3) March 28, 2022
https://twitter.com/TylerKing_2/status/1508242098390188034
This season has been an utter disaster for the Lakers. Despite trading for Russell Westbrook over the summer, they got worse as a team and have been fighting all season long to stay within play-in range.
Amid all of that, James is having his best campaign since leaving Cleveland. At 37-years-old, with 18 years in the league, he is averaging 30 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists on 52.3% shooting.
As he continues to dominate, his claim as the NBA’s greatest player ever becomes more and more valid. For some, the second he passed Kareem on the scoring list will be the second he passes MJ as the GOAT.
“I can speak from experience, and I can speak factually and accurately. I’m on that list, Kareem’s on that list, Magic’s on that list and I say all-around player, by the time LeBron James is done, he is the only player in the history of our game that will probably be ranked top-10 or top-five in every single statistical category,” said Isiah Thomas. “Never been done before. Now we’ve had some players who dominate as a scorer, or dominate the boards, but we have never ever ever in my lifetime or anyone else’s who is so thoroughly dominant in every category. When I say LeBron James is the GOAT, here’s what I mean. When you talk about he and Kareem in terms of their 20-year dominance, both of them have been able to touch every single aspect of the sport and also be leaders in that category.”
It remains to be seen how this season will end for King James and his struggling Lakers team. Truth be told, they don’t look any more capable of winning a playoff series than they did two weeks ago.
But when you’ve got LeBron Jams, you’ve got a chance. So as long as James remains in the Purple and Gold, the Lakers will always be relevant in the title chase.
That’s just the kind of impact he has, and why his place in the GOAT discussion continues to be a debate today.
