LeBron James
Last night, LeBron James became the all-time leading scorer in the history of the NBA when he broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record in the third quarter of the Lakers/Thunder game in Los Angeles. He got the ball at the right elbow, posted up Enrich Williams and hit a fadeaway jumper to give him 38,388 points for his career. The game stopped, his family and friends flooded to court to congratulate him, Kareem was there with the commissioner, all kinds of celebrities, they played a tribute video… it was a momentous occasion. He ended the night with 38 points, 38,390 for his career, and has plans to play at least a few more years, so he’ll likely extend the record by at least a few more thousand points by the time he hangs it up. I may never see anyone top his mark for the rest of my life.
When he was 16, LeBron was anointed “The Chosen One” and placed on the cover of Sports Illustrated. LeBron was drafted first overall in 2003. 20 years later, he has four championships, four finals MVPs, four regular season MVPs, two Olympic Gold Medals, the scoring record, and he’s fourth all-time in assists too. That’s just on the court. He opened a school! He literally sends kids to college. He’s been the face of basketball for two decades and practically never made a mistake as far as the public is concerned. Imagine having an expectation placed on you to be great, and then exceeding that expectation, to become arguably the greatest of all time to ever do the thing you do.
I had his rookie jersey, his first signature sneaker, and I used to pretend I was him when I was shooting at the hoop hung on the door of my bedroom. I’ve watched him master his craft and dominate in his field for 20 years. He took it upon himself to become the very best he could be and it turned out he could be the best ever, and he’s still going. That’s one of the most incredible parts, in my opinion. He came into the league an exceptional playmaker, often dismissing the idea that he was a scorer when the media asked. Over time however, he scored more than anyone else ever has. Proof that commitment to pursuing the thing you love the most will take you further than even you can imagine. I’m grateful to be a witness to LeBron James’ career. He’s inspired me to see how far I can go.
-J.P.