The Los Angeles Lakers are riding a strong stretch, sitting at 19-8 on the season-even with a recent loss to the Clippers in a hard-fought battle for L.A. supremacy. LeBron James, as he's done countless times before, rose to the occasion with a 36-point performance, carrying the offensive load in a game where the Lakers were shorthanded.
Luka Doncic exited early with an injury, adding to an already lengthy list of unavailable players. Still, James kept the Lakers competitive, showcasing that even in Year 22, he's still one of the game's most reliable engines.
But beyond the box score, LeBron recently peeled back the curtain on one of the most iconic moments of his career-the night he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. On his “Mind the Game” podcast, James reflected on what that achievement meant to him, and what still makes it feel surreal.
“There are certain stats in sports history you just don’t think will ever be broken,” James said. “And that happened to be one of them.
For me to be able to accomplish that feat while not trying to accomplish the feat-I think that’s even more surreal to me. I’m first all-time in points, but I’m also fourth all-time in assists.”
That last part is key. LeBron has never been just a scorer.
From the moment he entered the league, he’s been a playmaker first-sometimes to a fault, depending on who you ask. He’s been criticized for deferring in big moments, for trusting teammates when fans or pundits expected him to take the shot himself.
But that selflessness is part of what makes his scoring record so unique. It wasn’t the result of a singular obsession with putting the ball in the basket-it was the byproduct of two decades of doing whatever his team needed.
Take the recent game against the Raptors. James had a chance to extend his historic streak of double-digit scoring games, but instead chose to kick it out to Rui Hachimura for the final shot.
Hachimura buried it, sealing a win for the Lakers. The streak ended, but the win counted-and for LeBron, that’s always been the priority.
That’s the paradox of LeBron James. He’s the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, yet he’s often been labeled as “too passive” in clutch situations.
He’s a pass-first superstar who still managed to eclipse a record that stood for nearly four decades. And he’s done it all while remaining near the top of the league in assists, a stat that underscores just how much he’s always been about elevating those around him.
Now, with the Lakers heading into a road matchup against the Phoenix Suns, James continues to defy time and expectation. Whether he’s scoring 36 to keep his team afloat or making the extra pass to seal a win, he’s still rewriting the narrative on what greatness looks like in the modern NBA.