In a relatively short matter of time, LeBron James may be the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. While the Lakers star has played for nearly 20 seasons now, it’s still an impressive mark to reach, especially considering he was never really considered a score-first player.
On Twitter, 2x NBA Champion Isiah Thomas used that point in a tweet aimed at shining some light on James’ upcoming milestone, which could have major implications on his legacy and the GOAT debate.
Here’s what he wrote:
He will be the all time leader in points scored in the @nba and he has never been viewed as a score first player @KingJames
https://twitter.com/IsiahThomas/status/1561721299130613763
Kareem’s place at the top of the leaderboard has been the target of many stars who came after him, but only LeBron has a real chance of passing him. Currently, James sits just 1,325 points away from the top — and could take it by this time next year if he wanted to.
Next season, fueled by the doubters, could be the one that puts LeBron over the top and further into the GOAT conversation.
Regarding I.T. and his take on LeBron and the GOAT debate, he has never been shy about sharing his view on it before. And now that LeBron is likely to pass Kareem for the record, there’s really no questioning how he feels about it.
“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. Never been done before,” said Thomas on James. “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.”
There are many arguments for and against James in the GOAT conversation and scoring is just one of the many different things to consider. Still, props have o be given to LeBron for dominating so many different aspects of the game for all of these years.
While maybe exhausting, LeBron likely isn’t rattled by all this talk. He’s focused on the season ahead and doing everything he can to ensure this season doesn’t end up like the last.
