Revisited: “But when you look at the records, they are that!" - Former NBA champion claims LeBron James is the best scorer ever back in 2021
Although many regard LeBron James as one of the greatest players of all time, he hasn't garnered the same respect as a scorer. However, former NBA players Richard Jefferson and Gilbert Arenas offered some insight into why James should be considered the best scorer of all time.
Heading into his 20th season, LA Lakers superstar LeBron James is on the verge of becoming the NBA's All-time Scoring Leader. Even with such a milestone in front of him, James hasn't earned much respect as a scorer.
The narrative that James isn't a potent offensive force was severely criticized by Richard Jefferson a year ago. Gilbert Arenas joined Jefferson, reiterating how good LeBron was as a scorer. He said:
"People might disagree with me. But understand this, the greatest scorer is not only - it's consistency, it's longevity and it's amount."
Jefferson compared the nature of being a solid scorer to his career performances. Jefferson was a consistent scorer in his prime, averaging 19.7 points per game during a six-year span. However, he averaged 12.6 points per game for his whole career. This stat shows the difficulty of longevity.
Referring to this aspect of scoring, Jefferson added this about LeBron James:
"He passed Michael Jordan three seasons ago and he's going to add to that right? So to pass LeBron James in all-time playoff scoring records somebody is going to have to do what? Average 30 points a game and go to 13 NBA Finals. That s**t's not gonna be broken! The playoff one's not. And then he's going to pass Kareem."
"So, as much as we don't view him as a scorer, right? Like, Steph - greatest shooter, Kevin Durant - greatest weapon as a scorer, but like who's the greatest scorer? He's No. 4 all-time right now."
Adding to Richard Jefferson's comments, Gilbert Arenas offered his take on the matter. Referring to an argument about James not being a "natural scorer," Arenas highlighted how a pass-first player had outscored two dominant scorers. Jefferson said:
"25 points a game for 15 straight years? It's weird because you don't think of him as that. He doesn't approach the game as that. But when you look at the records, they are that!"
“LeBron James is the BEST SCORER of All-Time whether you like it or not”
- Richard Jefferson & Gilbert Arenas https://t.co/YxTN8JT81L
LeBron James on track to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar this season
The last few seasons of LeBron James' career have been a series of milestone achievements. After passing Karl Malone last season, James is on the brink of surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's regular-season scoring record.
LeBron James Tonight
26 PTS, 15 REB, 8 AST
Passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time NBA leader in points (regular season +playoffs)
https://t.co/e4wO5mY88Q
Last season showed that the "King" could still score at will. Having led the league in scoring for a large part of the season, James missed out on the scoring title due to injuries.
The narrative regarding LeBron's scoring ability continues to baffle. Given his gift as a playmaker, James hasn't received enough credit for being a scoring threat. However, the stats represent his prolonged excellence as an offensive powerhouse.
The possibility of James surpassing Kareem seems more likely in the upcoming season. Just over 1,300 points away from passing the Lakers legend, the "King" will continue cementing his position in the history of the NBA.
LeBron James needs 1,326 points to overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the player with the most points scored in NBA history.
If he mantains his career average, LeBron would only need 49 games to break the record. https://t.co/LOxkNoPcKW