When can LeBron James pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time top scorer in the NBA?
LeBron James is one of the most talented basketball players of all time. His all-around abilities are a big reason why he's been dominating the league for almost two decades.
The Los Angeles Lakers forward is a fantastic scorer, ball distributor, and defender. Thanks to his impressive skills and longevity, he has a chance to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
The NBA veteran will enter his 20th season soon and will have a chance to become the best scorer in the league's history. Let's take a look at how many games James needs to surpass the six-time NBA champion.
LeBron James could surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in early 2023
If everything goes well, LeBron James could become the best scorer of all time in early 2023. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 38,387 points during his impressive career, while LeBron is currently at 37,062 points.
King James is 1,325 points behind Abdul-Jabbar. The 37-year old has scored more than 1,500 points in all but one season, so surpassing the NBA legend should be possible next season.
If LeBron appears in every single game for the Lakers next season, he will need to average 16.2 points per game to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer. However, it is unrealistic to expect James to appear in every game, which is why his scoring average will need to be higher.
James played 82 games in his final season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, his tenure with the Lakers has been marked with several injuries. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic affected the league, which is why every team has missed a lot of games.
In four seasons with the Lakers, LeBron James has appeared in 223 games, which is only 56 games per season. If we assume that he will play 56 games next season as well, the superstar will have to average 23.7 points per game to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The only time James averaged less than 24 points per game was in his rookie season. Furthermore, he was one of the best scorers in the league last year with 30.3 points per game, which was impressive.
LeBron James will likely surpass Abdul-Jabbar in March 2023
The Los Angeles Lakers will open their season against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, October 18. Their first game will be extremely tough as they will face the reigning champions on the road.
You can expect LeBron James to keep scoring more than 25 points per game throughout the season, but it is unlikely that he will surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar before March 2023.
LeBron needs 1,325 PTS to pass Kareem
At 25 PPG, he will catch him in just 53 more games
After that, he will be 1,613 PTS away from 40,000 career PTS
65 more games at 25 PPG would do it
We are truly witnessing uncharted territory https://t.co/P7nFiBrtB7
The Lakers will play 15 games in March and will have two five-game homestands. If James stays healthy, it won't be surprising if he takes the throne this month and becomes the greatest scorer in the history of the NBA.
Considering that he still has a lot in his tank, James could finish his career with more than 40,000 career points.