"It was really a special moment"- Jeanie Buss revisits historic night when LeBron James broke the all-time scoring record
LeBron James is arguably the best player to ever play the game of basketball. This year, James made his GOAT case stronger than ever by breaking Kareem Abdul Jabbar's long-held All-Time NBA Scoring Leader record.
James broke the scoring record in an LA Lakers uniform and this seemed fitting as most of the greatest players in NBA history have played for LA.
Jeanie Buss was especially happy and proud of LeBron James for becoming the all-time scoring leader. Buss spoke exclusively to Sportskeeda and discussed the moment in detail:
"It was really a special moment. It felt like a celebration and the idea that Kareem was there to literally pass the torch is what made it really special. It had a playoff-type atmosphere. It had a family feel with the Lakers family."
There was no shortage of lights and stardom when James hit one of the most historic shots in NBA history. The record will stand for a very long time, perhaps forever.
At 38 years old, it was a mesmerizing performance. James scored a stunning 16 points in the third quarter to break the record, and finished the game with 38 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
Jeanie Buss was especially happy that LeBron James broke the record in a Lakers jersey but made it clear that this is a James record and not an LA Lakers record:
"It was great for LeBron to be able to break that record in Los Angeles. I’m grateful the record will be held by somebody wearing a Lakers jersey at the time. But it’s really LeBron’s record and a tribute to him for his career. It isn’t a Lakers record. It’s a LeBron record."
Does the all-time scoring record make LeBron James the GOAT?
LeBron James' all-time scoring record is definitely in a league of its own. There is nobody at the moment that can threaten his record and it might stay with him for at least his lifetime considering that he is still adding to the total.
However, it is not so simple to declare LeBron James the GOAT given his scoring title. The people in Michael Jordan's camp haven't really shifted their stance on who the GOAT is since the 1990s and likely will not shift now.
That said, given that the greatest argument against James is that Jordan was a better scorer, it does put Jordan's GOAT status in jeopardy. After all, the all-time leading scorer could be considered the best scorer in the game of basketball.
As far as Lebron James' fans are concerned, this is just another trophy on the shelf. For most of them, James became the GOAT after he came back from down 3-1 in the NBA Finals against the greatest regular season team of all time, the Golden State Warriors.
The scoring leader title does add to this mix but is not necessarily a defining stat for James' otherwise legendary career.