"He has never been viewed as a score-first player" - Isiah Thomas lavishes praise on LeBron James for his scoring prowess
LeBron James will look to make history in the 20th year of his career. He is preparing himself to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record of 38,387 points in the regular season.
James is 1,325 points away from passing Abdul-Jabbar's record, and his tally currently stands at 37,602, which he has accumulated in his 19 years in the NBA. LeBron is already the all-time leader in playoff-points, with 7,631 points to his name. He is, however, sixth all-time in points per game, with only two active players - Kevin Durant and Luka Doncic - ahead of him.
Former NBA player and two-time champion Isiah Thomas tweeted his praises for James, stating:
"He will be the all time leader in points scored in the @nba and he has never been viewed as a score-first player @KingJames"
He will be the all time leader in points scored in the @nba and he has never been viewed as a score first player @KingJames
According to ESPN, LeBron is projected to pass Abdul-Jabbar's record in early 2023, and could pass sometime in January-March.
How accurate are Isiah Thomas' comments about LeBron James?
Thomas' tweet makes for an interesting argument. While it is true that LeBron has never been a score-first player (like Trae Young or Stephen Curry), he has been the first-option on nearly every team he has played for.
During James' early days in Cleveland (2004-05 to 2009-10), he averaged 29 points per game, 7.3 rebounds per game and 7.1 assists per game. Thomas stated that James has never been a score-first player, but his numbers are at par with traditional score-first players at the time.
A good example of this is that of Allen Iverson, considered by many to be one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history. Between the 1998-99 and 2005-06 NBA seasons, Iverson averaged 29.6 points per game, only marginally higher than LeBron.
So, while it is unfair to call LeBron James a score-first or a pass-first player, he does both at an incredibly high level. James is a jack of all trades, and his proficiency was summed up perfectly by Pat Riley:
“LeBron is in a class of his own. He is absolutely unique. He is Michael, he is Magic, he is Kobe, he’s Jerry West, he’s Bill Russell.
MR. EVERYTHING 🔥
Pat Riley has some BIG praise for @KingJames. #NBA75 https://t.co/qrxj7mXGD0
"You take all of these great, great players, and put them in a blender and mix them up, LeBron’s got something from all of them in him.”
In his illustrious 19-year career, LeBron James has accumulated several accolades. The list includes four NBA titles, four MVPs and four Finals MVPs to go along with several All-NBA, All-Star and All-Defensive selections.