LeBron James Sets NBA Scoring Record

LeBron James Sets NBA Scoring Record

LeBron James is the new all-time scoring leader of the National Basketball Association¹ (NBA).

He set the record with a jump shot in the third quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers game Tuesday night against Oklahoma City. James pushed his career total to 38,388 points and passed the scoring record that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held for nearly 39 years.

After he made the shot for his 36th point of the night, James threw both hands in the air, then smiled. Abdul-Jabbar sat up from his seat and clapped. The game stopped as members of James' family, including his mother, his wife and their three children, went to the court for a ceremony honoring² the moment.

"I'm there now because I never, ever thought about it," James told The Associated Press, when asked what the scoring record means to him. "The only thing I ever thought about was winning championships... But scoring championships and records, I'm telling you, that was never on my mind."

Abdul-Jabbar was a longtime player for the Lakers. He became the NBA's all-time leading scorer on April 5, 1984 and retired³ in 1989 with 38,387 points. It was a record that some thought would last forever, with very few coming close. Great basketball players, including Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan retired when they were still thousands of points away.

James, who is 38 years old, passed all of them and set the record in his 20th season. Abdul-Jabbar also played 20 NBA seasons.

During the on-court ceremony, Abdul-Jabbar handed a ball to James, signaling a passing of the torch. James wiped away tears from his eyes, then thanked the crowd. He also thanked his family and those who have supported him, including NBA Commissioner⁴ Adam Silver and the late NBA Commissioner David Stern⁵.

"I thank you guys so much for allowing me to be a part of something I've always dreamed about," James said.

James is likely to remain the league's career-scoring leader for a long time. No current NBA player is within 10,000 points of James. He is under contract for two more years and will likely become the league's first 40,000-point scorer sometime next season.

"Nobody will ever, ever touch it," said Kevin Love, James' teammate on Cleveland's 2016 championship team. "The scoring record now will never be eclipsed⁷."

James could have had the scoring record long ago if he really wanted to do it. But he always preferred passing. James is behind only John Stockton, Jason Kidd and Chris Paul on the all-time assists⁹ list. James is the only player to have at least 10,000 points, 10,000 rebounds¹¹ and 10,000 assists.

There has long been a debate over who is the best basketball player of all time. But no one has ever been this good, for this long. James, a four-time champion with three different teams, is averaging 30 points per game in his 20th season. Only three other players have averaged more than 10 points per game this late into their careers.

In a television interview after Tuesday's game, James said he plans to continue to play as long as he feels good physically¹² and mentally.

"I know I can play a couple more years. It's all about my mind. If my mind is still into it, if I'm still motivated to go out and try to compete for championships...then I can continue to play this game."

Words in This Story

clap — v. to hit the palms of your hands together usually more than once

pass the torch — idiom to give your job, duties, etc., to another person.

allow — v. to regard or treat (something) as acceptable¹³

eclipse⁶ — v. to do or be much better than

assist⁸ — n. an action that helps a teammate to score

rebound¹⁰ — n. to catch the ball after a shot has missed going in the basket

motivate — v. to give a reason for doing something

1 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

2 honoring   

v.尊敬，给以荣誉( honor的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They sat in silence, honoring the clan Jordache for a moment. 他们默默地坐了一会儿，对乔达虚家族表示了一番敬意。 来自辞典例句
• Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check. 美国没有履行这项神圣的义务，只是给黑人开了一张空头支票。 来自辞典例句

3 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

4 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

5 stern   

adj.严厉的，严格的，严峻的；n.船尾

参考例句：

• The ship was in a blaze from stem to stern.整艘船从头到尾都着火了。
• The headmaster ruled the school with a stern discipline.校长治校严谨。

6 eclipse   

v.使黯然失色，使相形见绌，日食，月食

参考例句：

• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。
• There will be an eclipse of the moon next month.下个月有月食。

7 eclipsed   

[物]遮掩[键]位形

参考例句：

• Our happiness was soon eclipsed by the terrible news. 我们的快乐很快就被可怕的消息蒙上一层阴影。
• The moon is partly eclipsed. 月偏食了。

8 assist   

vt.协助，帮助，促进；vi.帮忙，参加

参考例句：

• He asked us to assist him in carrying through their plan.他要我们帮助他实施他们的计划。
• We'll assist at your wedding.我们将出席你们的婚礼。

9 assists   

n.协助次数v.帮助，促进( assist的第三人称单数 )；为…的助手；为…当帮手；辅助

参考例句：

• This chemical assists in construction of muscle, bone and other tissues. 这种化学物质有助于建造肌肉、骨骼和其它组织。 来自辞典例句
• The congregation assists at divine service. 会众参加圣礼。 来自辞典例句

10 rebound   

v.弹回；n.弹回，跳回

参考例句：

• The vibrations accompanying the rebound are the earth quake.伴随这种回弹的振动就是地震。
• Our evil example will rebound upon ourselves.我们的坏榜样会回到我们自己头上的。

11 rebounds   

反弹球( rebound的名词复数 )； 回弹球； 抢断篮板球； 复兴

参考例句：

• V is the velocity after the gas particle rebounds from the wall. V是粒子从壁上弹开后的速度。
• In the former case, the first body rebounds with practically its original velocity. 在前一种情况下，第一个物体实际上以原来的速度弹回。

12 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

13 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。