Last season, LeBron James moved past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time leading scorer in NBA history. The moment took place in a February game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder, and Abdul-Jabbar was on hand to graciously commemorate the accomplishment.
It was seen as the Holy Grail of individual basketball accomplishments, and those who feel James is the greatest basketball player ever saw it as confirmation of that opinion.
On Tuesday, James surpassed Oscar Schmidt to become the world’s all-time leading scorer in the sport of basketball. It went rather unnoticed, especially in the United States, but James is now the leader in that category when one includes regular season and postseason NBA games, All-Star games and his time with USA Basketball.
LeBron James SURPASSES Oscar Schmidt as the ALL-TIME SCORING LEADER IN ALL OF BASKETBALL! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/uW7V6Zn5UC
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) April 3, 2024
Schmidt was one of the greatest basketball players who never played in the NBA. A 6-foot-9 forward, he played for a number of teams in Brazil, Italy and Spain, and he also played in five Summer Olympic games while representing his native Brazil.
He was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in 1984, but he said no to the NBA, not only because he would’ve made less money than he was making at the time with JuveCaserta, but also because it would’ve made him ineligible for the Olympics. At that time, pro basketball players were not allowed to participate in the Olympics.
Schmidt started playing pro ball in 1974 as a 16-year-old, and his pro career lasted all the way until 2003, when he was 45 years of age.
