“Goodness knows how many more points he’d have if he was shooting the skyhook from behind the 3-point line” - Jeanie Buss says she thought Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record would never be touched
To this day, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of basketball's greatest talents. The former No. 1 pick played 20 seasons and achieved a long list of accolades. Some of his successes include being a 19-time All-Star, six-time MVP, six-time champion, two-time Finals MVP, and two-time scoring champion.
Kareem's biggest accomplishment of his Hall of Fame career is that he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer. Many thought that his record of 38,387 points would never be broken. But another LA Lakers star is right on his heels.
Cap!
19x All-Star, 6x MVP, 6x NBA Champ, 2x Finals MVP, 2x Scoring Champ, all-time leading scorer and 75th Anniversary Team member… Kareem Abdul-Jabbar! #NBA75
Watch more Kareem moments here: app.link.nba.com/e/_75storieska… https://t.co/PO3wAy66td
This season will be LeBron James' 20th year in the league. While he's never been known for his scoring, he is on the cusp of passing Kareem for the top spot. Currently, LeBron sits only 1,325 points behind. Outside of something catastrophic happening, LeBron will own that record.
Recently, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss was a guest on the "The Atheltic NBA Show" podcast. During her appearance, she opened up about the legendary big man being passed on the all-time scoring list.
"I honestly believe that that was going to be the case that nobody would ever touch Kareem's record.
"Kareem played for 20 years, you know, he didn't get to start till he was 22. And part of his career, there was no 3-point line. Goodness knows how many more points he'd have if he was shooting the skyhook from behind the 3-point line."
Could Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have set a higher record in today's game?
Jeanie Buss brought up an interesting point when breaking down Kareem's record. The Hall of Famer managed to get the scoring record even after playing in college for multiple years. In comparison, LeBron James entered the league right after high school. Giving him more time in his youth to chase the scoring mark.
Happy 74th birthday to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA all-time scoring leader 👏🎂
Will we ever see a move as unstoppable as the Skyhook?
https://t.co/u0tytjyxY5
With this note, an argument can be made that Kareem could have scored more today compared to when he played. If he left college after one season, like prospects do today, the record could have been unreachable.
The only case that can be made against Buss' point is the style of play today. Back in the day, offenses were run through big men. Because of this, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was able to do maximum damage against defenders with his patented skyhook. Since then, the game has changed to a more perimeter-based style. This would have cut into the amount of touches he'd receive, even as a top player.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has had a long run atop the NBA scoring ranks, but now he needs to be ready to pass the torch to LeBron.