LeBron James is now the NBA’s All-Time scoring leader. King James took the record from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who sat on the throne 39 years ago. James broke the record when the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder recently. It was a fade-away shot that help LeBron make history on the night. Since then, LeBron has not set foot on the NBA court, since suffering an injury.
A while ago, LeBron had a sit-down with ESPN and spoke about who could surpass him on the scoring list. At the time, LeBron was behind Kareem in second place. However, his numbers are still extraordinary, and there is no doubt that only a few might be able to beat it.
During the interview, LeBron said, “KD is the first thing that comes to mind for sure. His name is not Easy Money and Slim Reaper for no reason. He does it so effortlessly. His ability to shoot the three ball, shoot the mid-range, get to the paint, but also shoot 85-90 from the free throw line. Those are key ingredients and the most important is about being available on the floor.”
As James mentioned, Kevin Durant is undoubtedly one of the best players of our generation. His versatility as a shooter is the main reason why LeBron believes KD might surpass him.
Can Kevin Durant surpass LeBron James’ on the scoring list?
LeBron James is currently the leading scorer in the NBA with 38,390 points from 1,410 games played. He has come a long way in the league, from a rookie to a veteran with 4 NBA titles to his name. Durant, on the other hand, is 14th on the list, with 26,684 points from just 978 games. KD has been in the league for a long time, but surely not as long as LeBron. The King has featured in more games.
KD has been averaging 27.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists and has not shown any signs of stopping as well. He is 34 years old right now, which means he is 4 years younger than LeBron. He has to score 11,706 points to beat LeBron’s numbers on the scoring list.
It might sound like a feat that is impossible to achieve, considering LeBron is still an active player. However, there is no harm in assuming that Durant might play longer than LeBron, depending on how his career turns out. Injuries have not been kind to the 2x NBA champ, as he is out of action right now with an MCL sprain as well.
If Durant manages to stay injury-free, he might have a good chance to nearing LeBron’s record in the future. It does look difficult for the Phoenix Suns’ newbie, but the NBA world ruled out LeBron to make the record his own as well.