A layup in the second half against the Washington WizardsOn March 19, 2022 LeBron JamesMoved past Karl MaloneFor second place on the NBA’s career regular-season points list. Now, the Los Angeles LakersStar is fixated on another Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-JabbarThe current NBA all-time leading scorer is.
Abdul-Jabbar has topped the career points lists since April 5, 1984. This was eight months before James was even born. Wilt ChamberlainChamberlain, who was the all-time leader of the league since 1965-66. Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain and the other players have held the NBA’s most coveted records for nearly 60 years. James is set to join the group during the 2022-23 season.
We will be covering James’ quest to become NBA’s all time leading scorer throughout the season. This includes updated game-bygame projections and scoring stats. You can also see how the four-time MVP came to this historic achievement.
MORE: Pelton projects LeBron’s path to passing Kareem
The pursuit of history
Points back to No. 1: 1,440
Average career Preferred Position: 27.1
Abdul-Jabbar requires you to play these games 54
The Lakers still have 11 games in the 2021-22 Season. James could break the record in his 43rd season of 2022-23 if he continues to play all 11 games. The Lakers’ 43rd game as a team was Jan. 15, 2021-22. James missed 43 games due to injury and didn’t return until February 27.
Next Up
21 March Lakers at Cavaliers, 7 p.m. ET
Average career vs. CLE 29.1 PPG
Career high vs. 46 points (Jan. 25, 2021)
LeBron vs. Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar is James’s closest competitor on the official career points lists, but he is already the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. combining regular-season points and postseason points. James is the NBA’s all-time leader for points in the playoffs as well as in the All-Star Game.
NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorers
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
38,387 Points in 20 Seasons
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24.1 points per match (16th all-time)
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14,211 points in six years Milwaukee Bucks
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24176 points in 14 seasons as Los Angeles Lakers
2. LeBron James
36,947 Points in 19 Seasons
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27.1 points per games (5th all-time)
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23119 points in 11 seasons Cleveland Cavaliers
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7.919 points in 4 seasons Miami Heat
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Los Angeles Lakers scored 5,909 points in four seasons
3. Karl Malone
36,928 points over 19 seasons
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25.0 points per match (11th all-time)
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36,374 Points in 18 Seasons Utah Jazz
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Los Angeles Lakers: 554 points in one season
4. Kobe Bryant
33,643 Points in 20 Seasons
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25.0 points per match (12th all-time)
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33,643 Points in 20 Seasons with Los Angeles Lakers
5. Michael Jordan
32,292 points in fifteen seasons
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30.1 points per match (1st ever)
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29277 points in 13 seasons Chicago Bulls
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3,015 points in two seasons with Washington Wizards
LeBron’s Journey
LeBron James is changing the scoreboard when it comes to defining his legacy
LeBron Jam moves past Karl Malone to become the second-highest scoring player on the all-time list. It is clear that his future will not be determined by championships. How will you view his rewriting the most important sections of the record books? Read Brian Windhorst’s column »
The path to history: How LeBron passed Kobe in all-time scoring
Kobe Bryant was ahead of LeBron Jam for 17 seasons on the NBA’s career scoring lists. Here’s how the King passed Kobe to take third place in all of NBA history. See the full journey »
LeBron James’ path to 30,000 career regular-season points
LeBron Jam became the seventh player in history to achieve 30,000 regular season points. The King, as well as many witnesses to his 15 year journey, tell us how he got here. Relive the best buckets »
Follow LeBron’s points from 0 to 27,000 and beyond
LeBron James, 37 years old, is the youngest person to have scored 27,000 points in NBA History. Check out the top-10 list of LeBron’s friends and how you can catch Kareem. Follow LeBron’s climb »