LeBron James Set To Become NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer In Year 20

By: Melo Williams 

With the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected LeBron James from St. Vincent-St. Mary High school in Akron Ohio.

It didn’t take LeBron James long to establish himself in the NBA making it known from his first game against the Sacramento Kings, that he had arrived and that he would be a force to deal with for years to come as one of the best players in the NBA so get to know him as “King James.” Did anyone think 20 years later that LeBron would still be in the NBA dominating at 37 years old and on the verge of surpassing the NBA’s current all-time leading scorer, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and the Greatest Point Guard of all-time Magic Johnson while wearing the purple and gold? Like myself, I bet many thought he could become the NBA all-time leading scorer but I’m also willing to bet many including myself didn’t think he’d pass Magic in assists while wearing a Lakers uniform. Which is great. It makes the legend of basketball and Lakers’ legend even more intriguing and fascinating.

Regardless if you did or didn’t think LeBron James would still be standing tall 20 years later in the NBA, we’re here now and James currently ranks second all-time in career points with 37,062 points needing only 1,326 points to pass Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul Jabbar who has 38,387 points. Kareem has been sitting at the top of the NBA’s all-time scoring list since 1984 when he passed the late great Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain, who had been the NBA’s all-time leading scorer since the 1965-1966 season. Though Jabbar is currently the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer when combining regular season points and postseason points.

I’m going to illustrate LeBron James illustrious NBA career from his rookie season until the start of this 2022-2023 season showing how we arrived here today watching one of the best basketball players of all time in NBA history soon become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer putting the cherry on top of his historic career as to why he has to be considered either the greatest of all time or one of the top 5 greatest of all time depending on who you’re having that conversation with.

LeBron James first game in the NBA was October 29, 2003, versus the Sacramento Kings. His stat line read 25 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 steals. Many may not remember his stat line or even his first game, but I bet many if not everyone remembers his first dunk that game, which soon became his signature thunderous tomahawk dunk. After the game, of course, it was a media circus with questions being asked to anyone and everyone that had any affiliation with the sport of basketball with LeBron being the focal point of people’s perspective on how they thought his career would turn out.

LeBron James agent at the time, Aaron Goodwin, said “I think that was LeBron’s statement to the league that he’s here. He’s for real.” After the game Kings’ players gave their praises about at that time the young 18-year-old phenom known as King James.

Kings center Vlade Divac said it was the first time he’d seen him and that he was really impressed and called James the real deal. Kings guard Bobby Jackson said “He’s a talent. Look at how he plays. The best thing about him is how he distributes the ball. He does it extremely well.”

Like Jackson, basketball enthusiasts loved the fact LeBron James reminded them of Hall of Fame and Lakers’ legend Magic Johnson, who was the ultimate floor general and the architect of the “Showtime Lakers” who mesmerized not just Lakers’ fans, but basketball fans across the world with his superior passing abilities and most of all his beautiful ageless classic no-look passes while doing it with a smile of joy on his face.

LeBron wore jersey number 23 because of his love for Michael Jordan but everyone said immediately after watching him in high school, that James was more Magic than Michael. Basically potential to be great however you slice it. LeBron passed Michael Jordan (30,292) in career points and became the all-time assists leader at the forward position and now currently sits in the top 10 of assists leaders in NBA history with 10,045. Needing only 97 assists to pass Magic Johnson. James only needs 291 assists to reach top five all-time, needing only to average 5 assists in 60 games to reach top five all-time passing Mark Jackson (10,334) and Steve Nash who has 10,335 assists.

James NBA debut was nothing short of spectacular coming straight out of high school. He was the youngest player to be selected with the number one draft pick at the age of 18. Comparing Bron debut to some of the other players that came straight out of high school before his debuts, James scored more points than Kobe Bryant (0), Kevin Garnett (8), Tracy McGrady (0), Amar’e Stoudemire (10), and Jermaine O’Neal (2) combined.

Here’s how LeBron James NBA debut compared to other NBA legends who are all worthy of being mentioned as the top 5 greatest of all-time:

Michael Jordan 16 points, 5-16 FG, 7 assists, 6 rebounds in 40 minutes

Magic Johnson 26 points, 10-21 FG, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks in 41 minutes

Larry Bird 14 points, 6-12 FG, 10 rebounds, 5 assists in 28 minutes

Wilt Chamberlain 43 points, 17-27 FG, 28 rebounds in 48 minutes

Kareem Abdul Jabbar 29 points, 12-27 FG, 12 rebounds, 6 assists in 48 minutes

Oscar Robertson 21 points, 8-20 FG, 12 rebounds, 10 assists

Bill Russell 6 points, 3-11 FG, 16 rebounds, 1 assist in 21 minutes

LeBron averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists his 2003-04 rookie season, & became the first Cleveland Cavalier and the youngest player in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year, while joining a short exclusive list with Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson as the only players to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists as a rookie.

LeBron’s second season on January 19, 2005, James became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double at the young age of 20. James earned his first NBA All-Star game selection, contributing 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in a winning effort for the Eastern Conference. Also in his second season, LeBron scored a then-career-high 56 points against the Raptors and became the youngest player to make an All-NBA team. To finish out his sophomore season LeBron earned All-NBA honors averaging 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists as the youngest ever to do it. LeBron made headlines after firing the Goodwin brothers as his agent representatives for Maverick Carter, his close friend, and former high school teammate.

Year three at the 2006 All-Star game, James led the East to a victory scoring 29 points, and was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. LeBron made his playoff debut. In Game 1 of his postseason debut, James recorded a triple-double in a winning effort versus the Washington Wizards putting up 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. In Game 3 of that same series, Bron made his first game-winning shot of his career, while making another clutch game-winning shot in Game 5 to close out the series winning 4-1. Detroit Pistons beat Cleveland in the second round.

Season 4 LeBron finally made it to the Eastern Conference Finals and had to face the Detroit Pistons. In Game 5 LeBron completely took over the game. He put up 48 points with 9 rebounds and 7 assists, scoring 29 of Cleveland’s last 30 points, including the game-winning layup to win 109-107 helping Cleveland win its first-ever Eastern Conference championship. LeBron made it to his first Finals at age 23 and had to face the San Antonio Spurs. LeBron and the Cavs ended up getting swept 4-0. LeBron struggled going against a veteran team in the Spurs coached by perhaps the Greatest Coach of All Time Greg Popovich. James averaged 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists per game on just 35.6 percent shooting.

In his fifth year 2008, LeBron won his first and only scoring title averaging 30 points per game though he came close to winning his second last season, but he sat out the last few games of the season.

As we all know New York’s, Madison Square Garden is the Mecca of basketball. If you played in the NBA and is considered a superstar, it’s almost a must that you have a Madison Square Garden legendary performance story or stories. Bron had his 2009 year 6. He scored 52 points, 9 rebounds, and 11 assists. One rebound shy of a triple-double. Also in year six, he won his first of four Most Valuable Player awards. Bron averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game for the season. A historic one-year season in terms of numbers and per-game averages. He also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting and made his first All-Defensive team. That was the year LeBron made the “chase down” block so famous that we see many players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Dwayne Wade, Russell Westbrook, and Joel Embiid use effectively that takes skill and timing to do. Lost to Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals after sweeping Detroit and Atlanta in the first and second rounds. LeBron averaged a career-high point per game averaging 35.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 7.3 assists in 14 games in the 2009 playoffs.

Year seven LeBron James moved to the point guard position full-time. This was the year when all the growth as a player from his already superior skill set matched. It all came together. Bron won his second MVP of four after averaging 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1 block per game on 50 percent shooting. The Cavaliers had to match up against Boston in the second round and Boston’s Big 4 (Garnett, Pierce, Allen, Rondo) dominated James and the Cavaliers and closed out the series in Game 6. James posted 27 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, and 9 turnovers in the loss.

Year 8 came and even though LeBron has won four NBA championships, 4 MVPs, historic seasons, and performances by the numbers, I don’t think he’s had any moment bigger than “The Decision” nor has the NBA besides Magic Johnson announcing he was retiring due to testing positive for HIV or the sudden tragic death of Hall of Fame Laker great Kobe Bryant. On July 8, he announced on a live ESPN special titled The Decision that he was taking his talents to South Beach and he would be signing with the Miami Heat. LeBron received criticism from everyone even from his basketball idols Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson criticizing Bron for joining Bosh and Wade in Miami and not trying to win a championship as “the man”. December 2, 2010, was LeBron James first game back home in Cleveland as a Miami Heat. Bron scored 24 of his 38 points in the third quarter to lead the Heat to a win. Miami ended up losing to the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the Finals. LeBron reached the top 100 NBA all-time scorers in the league passing up players like  James Worthy, Joe Dumars, Bob Cousy, Grant Hill, and his teammate Chris Bosh.

Season nine was one for the ages for LeBron. In the summer season leading up to year, nine LeBron James worked out with Hakeem Olajuwon in order to work on and improve his post-up game. Later that season, James was eventually named MVP for the third time, finishing with averages of 27 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal per game on 53 percent shooting. Miami had to match up against a young talented Oklahoma City Thunder team led by superstar Kevin Durant. In Game 5, Bron had a triple-double and Miami defeated Oklahoma City for their second-ever championship LeBron James had finally won his first-ever NBA championship and was named the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player with averages of 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists per game. Bron 2012 postseason averaged 30.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game, and was later ranked the second-best in modern NBA history.

2012-2013 season began and LeBron James went back to work where he left off at in 2012. In February the Heat went on a 27-game winning streak, which is the third longest streak in NBA history meanwhile James averaged 29.7 points and 7.8 assists per game while increasing his shooting efficiency during the 27-game winning streak. James was named MVP for the fourth time, falling just one vote shy of becoming the first player in NBA history to win the award unanimously leading the Heat franchise to its best record ever 66-16 which was also the league’s best record that season as well. The Heat made it to the Finals for the second straight season facing the San Antonio Spurs. The Heat won in seven games behind LeBron’s 37 points, a tie for a Finals record for most points scored in a Game 7 victory. James was named Finals MVP for the second straight season, averaging 25.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2.3 steals per game winning his second NBA championship. At the close of LeBron James tenth year in the NBA, he had scored over 21,000 points and was ranked 34 on the all-time scoring list. He passed Bernard King, John Stockton, current teammate at the time Dwayne Wade, Mitch Richmond, George Gervin, David Robinson, and Bob Pettit.

In the 2013-2014 season, LeBron’s 11th year, James scored a career-high and Heat franchise-record 61 points in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats with Michael Jordan in attendance courtside watching. In year 11, Bron averaged 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists per game on 56 percent shooting. Miami made it to the Finals but was beaten by the San Antonio Spurs in five games ending Miami’s chances to three-peat. Though LeBron didn’t win MVP that season and easily could’ve, if he would’ve won Most Valuable Player for the third consecutive year, he would’ve joined the short legendary list of Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird as the only players to win MVP three years in a row consecutively.

2014-2015, Bron’s 12th year in the league made it to his fifth straight finals, making him the first player to play in five consecutive Finals. Though they lost to Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in six games 4-2, many people felt LeBron should’ve been considered for the Finals MVP Award after averaging 35 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists per game in the Finals.

2015-2016 “CLEVELAND!!! THIS IS FOR YOU”. In year 13 LeBron was a three-time NBA Champion. James led the Cavaliers from a 1-3 deficit and delivered the city of Cleveland its first-ever professional championship. James led the comeback and beat the Golden State Warriors who were coming off a regular season, record-setting 73-win season, breaking the 1996 Michael Jordan Bulls’ 72-10 best all-time regular season record. However, the Bulls defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in the Finals making the record-breaking season more legendary, which is why it still stands as the best regular season ever still because they won the championship and the Warriors didn’t. James became just the third player to record a triple-double in an NBA Finals Game 7, and became the first player in league history to lead both teams in all five statistical categories for a playoff round, with averages of 29 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals per game winning Finals MVP unanimously.

2016-2017 was season 14 for LeBron James. Cleveland finished the season as the East’s second seed, with James averaging 26 points and career highs in rebounds 8, assists 8, and turnovers 4 per game. Though LeBron and Cleveland lost 4-1 to Kevin Durant and Golden State, he averaged 33 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists per game, and became the first player ever to average a triple-double in the Finals, a feat not even Magic Johnson was able to do. James also surpassed Michael Jordan as the league’s all-time postseason scoring leader.

2017-2018 started off with Cleveland trading Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics. In year 15, James workload would increase by having to take on more responsibility in guiding the Cleveland Cavaliers that season. James finished the season averaging 27 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 turnovers per game. Cleveland made it back to the Finals for the fourth consecutive year but was swept by Golden State 4-0. Bron averaged 34 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists per game for the Finals.

LeBron James entered the top 10 all-time NBA scorers in his 14th season. He passed most of the NBA’s Top 75 Greatest players ever from year 13 to 15. He had only Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar left ahead of him to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

Year 16 on July 9, 2018, LeBron signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. That 2018-2019 season ended with disappointment. Bron missed a then career-high 17 consecutive games, and the Lakers fell out of playoff contention and missed the playoffs. James’s final averages were 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists per game.

The 2019-2020 season will forever be known as the “The Bubble” season due to the NBA season being stopped because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Bron’s 17th season and the Lakers opened the season with a 17–2 record, matching the best start in franchise history. Regular season play was resumed in July and concluded in August in Orlando, Florida in a “bubble” atmosphere. James ended the regular season as the league leader in assists for the first time in his career, averaging 10.2 assists per game. Los Angeles had to face Miami in the Finals. The Lakers eliminated the Heat in Game 6, and James who averaged 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists per game during the series won his fourth NBA championship and fourth Finals MVP award. At 35 years old Bron became the second-oldest player in league history to win the Finals MVP award and the only player in NBA history to win the award with three different franchises.

From the 2020-2021 season until now, being days away from the start of LeBron’s 20th season in the NBA, he has passed everyone in scoring except Kareem and currently sits at the number 2 spot on the all-time scoring list. Expectations are that LeBron will break the all-time scoring record around January. A record that Kareem has held on to for 30 years that almost everyone thought Michael Jordan would be the first player to break it but he didn’t. A record some believed would never be broken. However, as we all know, records are meant to be broken. It’s possible we all might witness the person that refers to himself as “Just a kid from Akron” do the unthinkable and break one of the most historic and beloved records in all of sports and become the NBA’s new All-Time leading scorer.

LeBron James quest for 38,388 points begins on the road on October 18th versus the Golden State Warriors when the NBA season officially kicks off.