When will LeBron break Kareem’s record?
LeBron James is on the verge of passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer. Abdul-Jabbar has been atop the career points list since April 5, 1984, when he broke the mark previously held by Wilt Chamberlain. Now James has that record within reach.
So when will James score the 63 points he needs to surpass Abdul-Jabbar's career total of 38,387? That depends.
- If James averages 31.5 points per game over his next two games, he'll break the mark at home Feb. 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is averaging 30.1 PPG this season.
- If James averages 21.0 points per game over his next three games, he'll break the mark at home Feb. 9 against the Milwaukee Bucks. He is averaging 27.2 PPG for his career.
This all assumes James plays every game between now and when he breaks the record. After sitting out Monday's game against the Nets, he has missed 11 games this season.
We'll have ongoing coverage of The King's quest, including updated game-by-game projections and complete stats, throughout the season.
“It’s just amazing to watch him. It’s his 20th season, and what he’s doing -- he’s scoring 30, 40 almost every night. He’s just incredible.”
“The scoring record was never, ever even thought of in my head because I’ve always been a pass-first guy.”
Edited by Adam Reisinger.
Produced by ESPN Creative Studio: Michelle Bashaw, Rob Booth, Chris DeLisle, Jessi Dodge, Heather Donahue, Jarret Gabel, Luke Knox, Rachel Weiss.
Illustrations by Iveta Karpathyova. Development by Christian Ramirez. Research by ESPN Stats & Information.