Shannon Sharpe believes LeBron James breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record is “historical milestone”
LeBron James has been on a collision course with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record for quite some time now. For years, it seemed to be a matter of when James would break the record, rather than if he would break it. With just 63 points to go until James surpasses Abdul-Jabbar's 38,387 regular-season record, all eyes are on LA.
Considering that Abdul-Jabbar's record has long been considered one of the most unbreakable, James' feat is nothing short of remarkable by many accounts. The way NFL Hall of Famer and Fox Sports 1 analyst Shannon Sharpe sees things, it's more than just incredible, it's historic.
Abdul-Jabbar's record is one that has stood the test of time. While many great players and scorers have come and gone since his reign of dominance in the NBA, the league has never seen dominance like this. In year 20, LeBron James is not only closing in on the record but also turning back the clock and delivering MVP-caliber performances.
During a recent episode of Undisputed, Sharpe spoke about how Kareem's record seemed just as unbreakable as Hank Aaron's home run record.
"I think that's what everybody thought about Kareem's record. Y'all do realize the level of consistency in which- He averaged like 30 points a game like his first 4 or 5 years at least Skip! And so it's like, man ain't nobody going to get that record, nobody's going to play long enough consistent enough to get that many points."
"For him to have it [that record] would be an unbelievable, well, when he gets it, it's going to be an unbelievable achievement. ... It is a historic milestone once he gets it."
You can see his comments in the video above, starting at the 1:15-mark through to the 3:30-mark as he speaks at length about the record.
LeBron James closing in on Kareem's scoring record
Thanks to some stellar performances of late, LeBron James is closing in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record quicker than many anticipated. At 38 years old, King James has completely obliterated expectations for what a player in year 20 can do.
While Kareem Abdul-Jabbar notably won two championships in his last three seasons, he continued to average new season lows. In the 1986-87 season, his third to last in the league, he averaged just 17.5 points per game. The following year, he averaged 14.6, while playing under 30 mpg for the first time in his career.
In both seasons, he won championships. While he was an integral part of those LA Lakers teams, James elevated his play in year 20, proving that he still has plenty of gas in the tank.
With a series of dominant performances this season, LeBron James now finds himself just within arm's reach of the NBA scoring title. Given how well he's scored this season, it doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility for him to set a new career-high and break the record in one game.