Breaking the NBA’s all-time scoring record isn’t exactly a realistic goal for most players. But LeBron James, who’s likely to eclipse Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s mark this season, isn’t most players.
Inarguably one of the greatest of all-time, it was pretty clear from the beginning that James would be good at this basketball thing, and he’d be good for a long time.
But scoring record good? That’s just not something anyone can predict. And according to James, he didn’t see it for himself either.
So, when asked by a fan sitting courtside of the Lakers game in Detroit on Sunday whether he would cry when it happens, James said he wouldn’t.
LeBron James on if he’ll cry when he breaks the scoring record:
“If we win a championship I’ll cry. Not no scoring record.”
“I ain’t even try to do it.”
H/T @BleacherReport @HoHighlights pic.twitter.com/JmB1rpxlng
— Hoop Muse (@HoopMuse) December 13, 2022
“I ain’t even try to do it!”
What an incredible flex. Yeah, I broke an unbreakable record, but it’s not like I tried. Even if it’s true — which I believe it is — the response just puts into context how insane it is that we got here.
Entering Tuesday’s game against the Boston Celtics, James is 829 points from breaking the record. At his current average of 26.2 points, he would need about 32 more games to get there. That means it could happen sometime in February as long as he doesn’t miss an extended period of time.
What it doesn’t do is give the Lakers a better chance at winning a championship, which James said would make him cry. Their odds are just +5000 at BetMGM, behind 15 other teams.
Unless Rob Pelinka makes some moves, James might want to cherish the moment he gets the record a little more — even if it wasn’t something he tried to do. Because a title ain’t coming this year.
