LOS ANGELES — A record that was once thought to be unbreakable could now just be days away from falling, with LeBron James closing in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time NBA scoring record.
After scoring 27 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 131-126 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, the Akron native now finds himself just 35 points away from matching and 36 points away from breaking Abdul-Jabbar's career-scoring mark of 38,387 points -- a record that has stood since the six-time MVP's retirement following the 1988-89 season.
“I think it’s one of the greatest records in sports in general,” the 38-year-old James told reporters last week. “I think it’s up there with the home run record in baseball. It’s one of those records that you just don’t ever see or think that would be broken.”
Now in the 20th season of his NBA career, James is averaging 30 points per game, which puts him on pace to break Abdul-Jabbar's record in the next two games. It's also worth noting that the four-time MVP has scored at least 36 points in a game nine times this season, meaning it's plenty possible that James could break the record in the Lakers' next game.
So when will "The Kid from Akron" become the all-time leading scorer in NBA history? Here's a look at the Lakers' upcoming schedule:
- Tuesday, Feb. 7 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (10 p.m. ET)
- Thursday, Feb. 9 vs. Milwaukee Bucks (10 p.m. ET)
- Saturday, Feb. 11 at Golden State Warriors (8:30 p.m. ET)
- Monday, Feb. 13 vs. Portland Trail Blazers (10 p.m. ET)
What follows is a list of the top 10 leading scorers in NBA history:
- Kareem Abdul-Jabarr (38,387)
- LeBron James (38,352)
- Karl Malone (36,928)
- Kobe Bryant (33,643)
- Michael Jordan (32,292)
- Dirk Nowitzki (31,560)
- Wilt Chamberlain (31,419)
- Shaquille O'Neal (28,596)
- Carmelo Anthony (28,289)
- Moses Malone (27,409)