It took 39 years for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career points record to be broken. Will anyone be able to surpass LeBron James?
James now holds the NBA’s all-time scoring record after breaking Abdul-Jabbar’s mark of 38,387 Tuesday night. The Lakers star finished the loss to the Thunder with 38,390 career points.
How long will the 38-year-old James be atop the career scoring list, with his eyes on 40,000 points and beyond? Even with 3-point shots all the rage, can it be done in the load-management era? Here’s a look at where some stars stand:
Kevin Durant
Among active players, Kevin Durant is closest to James at 26,684 points, good for 16th on the all-time list. And while he’s still playing at an elite level, he’s 34 years old and has been dealing with injury issues in recent years. Even if he can remain healthy, Durant seems unlikely to reach James’ scoring heights.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Greek Freak turned 28 in December. He currently has 15,706 career points, 129th most all-time. He’s averaging a career-high 32.2 points this season, though he has missed 11 games and hasn’t played more than 67 games since the 2018-19 season. It would take another decade-plus of dominance for Antetokounmpo to challenge James’ record.
Luka Doncic
The Slovenian superstar is getting better with each passing season and is still just 23 years old. He was averaging a career-best 33.4 points per game entering Wednesday, though that number could be impacted by the arrival of Kyrie Irving. Doncic played 72 games as a rookie in 2018-19 but hasn’t played more than 66 since; he has missed eight games this year. Doncic had 8,531 career points entering Wednesday.
Jayson Tatum
Tatum was averaging a career-best 30.9 points entering Wednesday. The four-time All-Star, who turns 25 next month, began the day with 9,218 career points and leads the league with 1,578 points this season. He eclipsed 2,000 points for the first time last season, a rate he’d have to repeat for a long time to chase down James.
Victor Wembanyama
The 7-foot-2 Wembanyama, a 19-year-old playing in his native France, is considered the next generational talent, a big man who can do it all. He will be going No. 1 in this year’s NBA Draft, and perhaps he fulfills his potential like James did as a high school phenom and puts himself in the GOAT conversation.
