“Goats!! Let it be known” - NBA world comes together to congratulate LeBron James on passing Karl Malone on the all-time scoring list
LeBron James recently surpassed Karl Malone on the NBA's all-time scoring leaderboard and the basketball community erupted to praise the legend on social media.
James entered the game against the Washington Wizards on March 19 just 19 points shy of Malone's tally, and ended the night with 38 points. He now sits with 36,947 points and is just 1,440 points shy of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time record.
With roughly five minutes left in the second quarter, King James made a back-door cut and Stanley Johnson found him for a layup. The arena instantly gave him a standing ovation, having witnessed the 37-year-old make history.
James is averaging nearly 30 points per game in his 19th season and even though the LA Lakers are struggling, we can expect a showtime performance.
Here's how he surpassed The Mailman for second on the all-time scoring list:
LeBron gets a standing ovation after becoming the No. 2 all-time scorer in NBA history 🙏 https://t.co/VjmSgPZ4ab
LeBron James and company lost the game 127-119, but just like every contest, he tried to carry the team on his back. James finished with 38 points on 16-29 shooting from the field, including four three-pointers. He also grabbed 10 boards and dished out six dimes while turning the ball over just twice in 36 minutes.
NBA World congratulates LeBron James on surpassing Karl Malone
Not just Lakers fans, but the entire sports world flooded social media to react to King James' incredible historic achievement. The longevity accolade is even more impressive because James did it in fewer games and is younger today than Malone was when he passed Wilt Chamberlain in 2000.
The likes of Isiah Thomas, Kendrick Perkins, Skip Bayless and Dominique Wilkins all reacted to James' incredible achievement.
Here are some of the reactions:
Savannah James on her husband, LeBron James, reaching 2nd on the NBA All-Time scoring list. 👏👏👏 #Lakers #LakeShow https://t.co/QsYFVm1cJM
Goats!! Let it be known twitter.com/espnnba/status…
And will be top 5 in assists and so can you imagine how many he would have right now if he were a shoot first player. Man stop. The best all around player ever! Ever ever ever. “Yea I said it” twitter.com/bleacherreport…
The King and The Captain are the top two scorers in NBA history 👏
Congrats to LeBron for moving into 2nd place on the NBA's All-Time scoring list. https://t.co/BtEqqwUhq0
Chris Paul and Kevin Love showing some love to LeBron James. The #Lakers star is now no. 2 on the all-time scoring list 👀 https://t.co/YBpMUoyviS
Congratulations to LeBron Raymone James Sr. for passing Karl Malone on the all-time scoring list. Great 19-year longevity achievement.
Congrats LeBron!
A message from #2 All-Time in Scoring... LeBron James! https://t.co/u4MjRAwyR2
LeBron James Career Ranks
Points (2nd)
Assists (7th)
Rebounds (39th)
Those ranks combine to 48, the lowest combined ranks in points, rebounds and assists in NBA history.
He passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who is at 49 (1st in points, 3rd in rebounds and 45th in assists).
James at that Number 2 spot!!! That conversation about to be a lot different. Don’t mind me and Carry the hell on…🐐 James at that Number 2 spot!!! That conversation about to be a lot different. Don’t mind me and Carry the hell on…
Congratulations @KingJames 👑 twitter.com/NBA/status/150…
LeBron probably scores more points than anyone in NBA history .. without ever being labeled as a scorer
It gets mentioned a lot, but man it’s wild that LeBron came into the league with just about the most hype ever and he’s still smashed expectations.
LeBron, regular season and playoffs:
1st in points
2nd in made field goals
3rd in made free throws
4th in wins
5th in assists
6th in made threes
7th in games
8th in steals https://t.co/Ewv6npAXP0
How LeBron looking at Karl Malone https://t.co/1ZGHKmSjqy
LEBRON MOVES TO SECOND ALL-TIME IN REGULAR SEASON SCORING 😤 https://t.co/jbT5zBC1l5
Congrats to my man @KingJames on being the 2nd ALL Time NBA scorer! What an unbelievable feat!!!!! So proud of ya my man! Keep on keeping on!
Even LeBron James' haters and critics had to take a bow and acknowledge that they had witnessed greatness. Not many players in league history will ever cross this mark, and practically no one will do so, while also having 10K+ rebounds and boards. He is a master of all trades and has shown that throughout his career.
LeBron James reflects on his achievement after the game
It is only a matter of time before James crosses Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as he is only 1,440 points behind the LA Lakers legend. Assuming he doesn't get sidelined due to injury, he can comfortably go past Abdul-Jabbar's record next season and stand alone at the top.
James achieved something incredible against the Wizards but was understandably upset with the Lakers' loss in the game. He said he is more concerned about his team's wins and losses than personal accolades.
Nevertheless, he is certainly humbled by the milestone and said he didn't expect to be here when he started playing basketball as a kid. Here's what he posted after the match:
The post was flooded with comments from former players, analysts and more. Actor Jamie Foxx called James the GOAT, while Spurs' Dejounte Murray commented that the King is now onto the #1 spot on the list.
Lance Stephenson, Kendrick Perkins, Jeff Green and Isaiah Thomas congratulated James as well. Former teammate Kevin Love said he hopes to stand next to James when he breaks the record next season.
In the postgame press conference, James said:
"I will not allow myself to think about it. I’ve always just played the game the way I’ve been playing it over the years, and these things have just happened organically by just going out and playing the game the right way... Hope to accomplish that at some point in my career, but I won’t think about it too much."
LeBron James is extremely likely to usurp Abdul-Jabbar at the top eventually. The question now is where the record will end up because James has shown absolutely no signs of slowing down even at 37 years of age.