Who is after LeBron James’ NBA scoring record?

• LeBron James just broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA record.
• Who is after LeBron James’ scoring record?
• Some say it’s impossible.

LeBron James is already the top scorer in NBA history. He recently surpassed the 38,387 points scored by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, so now there is a short list of those who are after the basketball player’s new record.

James came within 36 points of breaking the NBA record, but on Saturday the Los Angeles Lakers fell 131-126 to the New Orleans Pelicans, who cut a streak of 10 losses in a row. LeBron had 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists, to continue to approach Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the top scorer in league history, the AP reported.

LeBron James is now the leading scorer in NBA history

James Harden averaged 36 points a few seasons ago. Devin Booker once scored 70 points in a game. There are a lot more players scoring more points now than when LeBron James began his NBA career in 2003-04. Tracy McGrady led the league with 28 points per game that season, a mark that would currently be surpassed by nine players.

With the faster game pace and a huge number of three-pointers, there are plenty of opportunities for players to rack up points. But one look at Harden shows how difficult it will be for even an elite scorer to keep doing it long enough to threaten the points record once James finally retires, the AP reported. Filed Under: LeBron James scoring record

Who is after LeBron James’ scoring record?

Photo: AP

Harden averaged 36.1 points in 2019-20 and 34.3 the following season. To maintain those kinds of numbers for 75 games in a season, a player would be flirting with 40,000 points in 15 years, although that probably wouldn’t be enough to reach the record that now belongs to James.

According to The Associated Press, the new record is 38,390. Also, circumstances change. First a trade to Brooklyn and then to Philadelphia meant Harden had to share shots, also an injury robbed him of much of his explosiveness. He hasn’t even averaged 25 points since then and now he’s no more than 20.

Some think James’ record will never be broken

Count Booker among those who think James will never be surpassed. “You may be able to do it for five seasons or 10, but not 20 with what he’s accomplished. I don’t think he can repeat himself,” said the Suns star. Still, there may be some players who have a chance.

Jayson Tatum, who fought James in the 2018 Eastern Finals, finished with more postseason points than any rookie other than Abdul-Jabbar. The All-NBA forward has averaged more than 26 points over the past two seasons, is close to 31 per game this one and won’t turn 25 until next month. At this rate, if he sticks around for the next 13 years, he could be fighting James again.

Players who could go after the scoring record

Luke Doncic, Dallas. Playing professionally in Spain before coming to the United States had him ready to break out quickly in the NBA, and he has averaged 27 points in four of five seasons. He already has more than 8,500 points.

Devin Booker, Phoenix. Booker can be as good as anyone in the league, as he’s shown when he scored 70 points in Boston in 2017 at age 20, or when he stringed together three games of 40 or more in December. He just turned 26 a few months ago, but he already has 12,000 points. If he improves on his average of 27.1 points per game over 12 years he could make things interesting.