Tuesday was a special night in the NBA and the sports world. LeBron James broke the league’s all-time scoring record, which had been held by fellow Los Angeles Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar since 1984.
He surpassed Abdul-Jabbar toward the end of the third quarter on a fadeaway jumper, and the game was stopped for several minutes as both Abdul-Jabbar and NBA commissioner Adam Silver commemorated James for the accomplishment.
However, the main focus, even for James himself, has been on the team, and the Lakers once again put forth a disappointing performance, this time against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The defensive woes continued, as Los Angeles surrendered 76 first-half points and couldn’t offer much resistance against a young Thunder squad, which rolled past the Lakers, 133-130.
James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time scoring list with a fadeaway late in the third quarter.
The four-time NBA MVP finished the game with 38 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Russell Westbrook was the only other Lakers player to score at least 15 points.
Despite the historic moment for James, the Lakers are still reeling as they try to make some headway into the playoff race. They are 6-9 in 15 games since a five-game winning streak that ended on Jan. 7.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin noted the Lakers credentialed more than 200 media members, which is "what's seen typically for a late-round playoff game" because everyone anticipated the historic moment happening on Tuesday night.
The moment absolutely lived up to the hype, between the emotion on James' face and an electric scene in the arena when the record-breaking basket happened.
But the story for the Lakers was the same as it has been all season: James doing everything he can to help them win, but the talent around him coming up short. They are five games under .500 and sit in 13th place in the Western Conference with four games remaining before the All-Star break.Watch video