Watch: Tons of drugs stamped with "LeBron" seized by Mexican authorities
LeBron James is arguably the most popular athlete to play in any of America’s major sports leagues. He has nearly 200 million followers on his Twitter and Instagram accounts combined. The four-time MVP clearly also has more fans who aren’t even dabbling on social media.
The current Los Angeles Lakers superstar has carved a name for himself across the globe and is adored by people from all walks of life.
James’ popularity took an almost hilarious turn when a certain video with this caption went viral:
“WTH: Mexican authorities seize tons of drugs stamped with 'LeBron' on them.”
There were at least 13 huge packs of drugs bearing the word “LeBron” on them. The drug traffickers must have been using the old logo as the #23 was still prominently displayed. The entire face of the pack was unmistakably that of the LA Lakers’ purple, gold and white colors.
James is no stranger to all kinds of fans, but this has to be one of the weirdest ones he could ever find. Packages like these likely had approval from someone with authority who is a huge James fan. Otherwise, they wouldn’t risk their life marking them with obvious loyalty to the basketball superstar.
LeBron James has the basketball world buzzing as he chases Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record
LeBron James’ popularity is only bound to become more widespread as he chases Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record that has stood for nearly 40 years. James' all-time tally of 37,989 is just 398 points away from tying the legendary big man’s 38,387 career points.
James is also just 11 points away from joining Abdul-Jabbar as the only other player in NBA history to accumulate at least 38,000 points. If he plays on January 15, Sunday, at home against the Philadelphia 76ers, he should catapult past that barrier.
If “King James” maintains his career scoring average of 27.2 PPG for the rest of the season, he could grab the record early next month. The game against the Milwaukee Bucks on February 9 and the one against the Golden State Warriors on February 11 could be worth remembering.
LeBron James is less than 500 points from passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record. How many more games till LeBron beats the record? #LakeShow
Tune in to @Sedano & @ScottKaplan now on the ESPN LA app📲 https://t.co/0oR7rbJcfR
LeBron James, though, has been on a tear, which could push him to reset the all-time scoring record sooner than expected. Over the last 10 games, he has been averaging 33.4 points on 54.0% shooting.
If he maintains his blistering scoring pace, he could dethrone Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on February 2 against the Indiana Pacers. He could also accomplish it two nights later, on a slightly more conservative computation, against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Regardless of when he reaches the top of the NBA’s all-time scoring ladder, James’ popularity will only grow. Should the LA Lakers somehow manage to make the playoffs, this season will be even more meaningful for his fans and the basketball world.
You might also want to read this: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says LeBron James deserves ‘any and all accolades’ when he surpasses him in all-time NBA scoring list