Historical. Against Oklahoma City, on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, February 8, American basketball player LeBron James became the leading scorer in NBA history in the regular season. At 38, the Lakers superstar exceeds the mythical mark, long considered unsurpassable, of 38,387 points, established by the legendary Kareem-Abdul Jabbar in 1984. An additional record which adds to his legend.
Basketball and globalization
• NBA points record
At the start of the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, LeBron James was 36 points short of grabbing the all-time NBA points record. It’s finally on a step back [un rapide pas de côté suivi d’un tir en suspension] 10 seconds from the end of the 3rd quarter the star did the unthinkable, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387 points.
Record holder since 1984, the former pivot came to the center of the field to hand the match ball to LeBron James, very moved. The game was interrupted for several minutes during which – illustration of the phenomenon – a message of congratulations of President Joe Biden aired. “It is hard to imagine who could come one day to take his place”, believes “The Team”.
• From “the chosen one” to “King James”
Born in Akron (Ohio) in the northeast of the United States, LeBron James displayed his talent from high school, where he was nicknamed “the chosen one” – “ The Chosen One ». A precocity that makes his name appear as heir to superstar Michael Jordan ! Now 38 years old (last December) and after twenty seasons in the NBA (in Cleveland, Miami and Los Angeles), he is now considered the “King James”, the king. A career during which he accumulated no less than 400 million dollars in salary!
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A deserved nickname given the records obtained during his career (which is not over), including the most points scored (61 against the Charlotte Hornets in 2014) in a game. He is also the only player to have reached at least 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists in his career. A man all the more appreciated, as he always preferred “to shoot his teammates rather than the cover”, as wrote Eurosport.
• An XXL track record
Records but also awards in spades. If LeBron James is considered by some to be the best player in the history of basketball, it is also because he has won almost everything since his arrival in the NBA in 2003. If the list is too long to be completely displayed here, we can still say that he is 4 times NBA champion, 4 times MVP [pour « Most Valuable Player », meilleur joueur] of the regular season and once top scorer then top passer of the season. With the United States team, he is also twice Olympic champion (2008 and 2012).
• A body worth gold
His longevity, LeBron James owes it only to himself… and to a lot of money! The superstar is said to have told an associate that he spends no less than 1.5 million euros a year to take care of his body, according to the newspaper “20 minutes”. An envelope that allows him to employ masseurs, trainers, but also to equip his house with a training room and even a cryotherapy chamber to facilitate his recovery. Only small difference: he allows himself a glass of red wine from time to time.
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• New world basketball idol
He is the worthy successor to Michael Jordan, who retired in 2003… when LeBron James started his career. The Lakers superstar is also the second player in history after Michael Jordan to win the title of regular season MVP, NBA champion, Finals MVP and Olympic champion with the national team during the same year.
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His career is also reminiscent of that of Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter accident in 2020. Before this tragic end, this great star of the same team had given himself the nickname of “Wine”for its ability to mature well over the years.
