LeBron James inches closer to Abdul-Jabbar record as Jordan, Johnson congratulate LA star

NBA superstar LeBron James has now scored over 38,000 career points, making him the second player in NBA history to reach the milestone.

The Los Angles Lakers star joins fellow Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players to pass the mark.

James, who is in his 20th season in the NBA, hit the 38,000-point plateau after he pulled up for a mid-range jumper before the Staples Center crowd in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night. He finished the night with 35 points in a loss. 

Former Lakers players celebrated James' new benchmark on social media. 

Magic Johnson, the Lakers icon who played with Abdul-Jabbar, tweeted congratulations to James, while also noting the difficulty of the milestone itself.

"I never thought I'd see another NBA player score 38,000 points in my lifetime," he wrote. 

Former Lakers center Pau Gasol, who won a championship with the team in 2009 and 2010, paid homage to James.

Congrats to @KingJames!! Second player in NBA history to hit 38k points!!!!

Who was the first one to reach this number? Of course, another @Lakers player: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. #LakersFamily #LakersNation #proud ????????

— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) January 16, 2023

James now stands 364 points away from surpassing Abdul-Jabbar as the league's all-time leading scorer. It is widely expected James will beat the record this season. 

He reflected on the possibility of breaking Abdul-Jabbar's record in October, prior to the start of the season.

"To sit here and to know that I'm on the verge of breaking probably the most sought-after record in the NBA, things that people said would probably never be done, I think it's just super humbling for myself," James said at Lakers media day. 

Magic Johnson is very fond of LeBron James, the Lakers legend who was instrumental in bringing the King to the franchise in 2018. And his faith was paid back with a championship, meaning Magic did what was needed to help the Lakers win once again. And it's safe to say that he is still a big fan of LeBron James and the amazing things he continues to achieve with every passing year in the NBA. 

Magic Johnson has often likened the way LeBron James plays to himself, stressing that their passing ability makes them unique. However, LBJ's scoring prowess can simply not be denied any longer. Even without his dunks and 3s, the King has more career points than Kevin Durant. And he is approaching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record, once considered untouchable. 

Magic Johnson played next to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and won numerous titles, so he was right there when Kareem was setting his unreal record. So when it comes to knowing how hard it is to reach this level, no one knows better than Magic. And he seems to be in disbelief a little as LeBron James is on the doorstep of breaking the record, congratulating him on being just the 2nd player to reach 38,000 points. 

"Congratulations to LeBron James for becoming the second player in NBA history to score 38,000 total career points!! I never thought I’d see another NBA player score 38,000 points in my lifetime."

It truly is easy to take LeBron James and the amazing things he has done on the court for granted from time to time. Even the young stars that are up next know that it's quite unlikely that he will be surpassed, with Luka Doncic recently saying he doesn't think he'd play long enough to make it happen despite his obvious prowess. 

"No way in hell... It's always a possibility, but it's going to be really tough. You gotta have a guy that plays for 20yrs in that shape, how he holds up his body. I am just saying without basketball skills, it's very hard to hold that body. If you're saying me there's no way because I'm not playing that much. It's amazing to watch him. It's his 20th season and he's scoring 30-40 points every night."

Magic Johnson highlighting the brilliance of what LeBron James has achieved is important in the age where amazing achievements are dismissed at times. It's another notch on the belt for LeBron James, who is seriously in the GOAT conversation. And if he crosses 40,000 points in his career, that would be truly insane.