LeBron James’ pursuit of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is about to end.
When the Lakers tip off Tuesday night, the 38-year-old four-time MVP and four-time NBA champion will be just 36 points shy of eclipsing The Captain, one of the all-time great Lakers and all-time great players – and for nearly 40 years, the league’s greatest scorer. James’ march to pass 38,387 has felt inevitable for some time, a sentiment James reflected last week in New York when he told a gaggle of reporters, “I’m going to do it. I mean, it’s just a matter of time when I’m going to do it.”
But even though James is now venturing beyond a threshold where no NBA player has been before, he continues another chase – the one that has defined his career.
It’s Michael. It has always been Michael.
His case in one of the world’s top barbershop debates is about to get a new injection of statistical evidence, adding to his records, championships, Finals MVPs, All-Star appearances and every other conceivable dimension to the argument that James is the greatest basketball player of all time (colloquially known as “the G.O.A.T.”). While reasonable minds can disagree – different generations might make cases for Bill Russell, Abdul-Jabbar or even Kobe Bryant – Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan is widely considered the benchmark for greatness in basketball, and to many, sports in general.
But in a battlefield that spans living rooms and bar top counters all over, James’ forthcoming crowning as the leading scorer in NBA history might push some reluctant holdouts over to his side of the fence. Dirk Nowitzki, who sits four spots and nearly 7,000 points down the list from James, encapsulated the dilemma he and others are facing as James’ longevity – and his seemingly never-ending prime – demolishes even the records once considered unbreakable.
“I always say Michael Jordan is the G.O.A.T.,” he said with a stiff, uncomfortable laugh, as if being forced to confess. “If…
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