In an exclusive interview with ESPN, he spoke about the real opportunity to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
THE NBA is getting closer to living these days surpassing one of the major league records. THE Los Angeles Lakers will be traveling to Sacramento this weekend to pick up the kingWhile LeBron James need now less than 500 points to overcome the historical mark of 38,397 nailed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar become the best scorer of all time.
In an exclusive interview with ESPNthe “King” reflected on the moment he scored his first league points during a trip to Sacramento.
“I knew I was ready”, said James to ESPN in an exclusive interview “I knew I belonged to the biggest league in the world. But I didn’t know what to expect. And I was very nervous. I didn’t know how my first point would come.”
It took three minutes and four seconds in his first NBA game on October 29, 2003, before LeBron James hit the basket for the first time in the league — a shot that came after a fake.
“Actually, it was a tough shot,” James said. “But I was so, so nervous with excitement. Nervous because I don’t want to fail, I don’t want to let people down.”
Since then James has accumulated only titles, records and many points.
One of the biggest names in basketball history is thrilled to come close to Abdul-Jabbar’s record, scoring average 33.7 points And 57.8% of hits in the last 12 games, including 25 tip inside 10 in 19 pull in win last Friday night against the Atlanta Hawks, 130 to 114.
“I do not know. I didn’t want to do it. It wasn’t my goal when I entered the leaguesaid James. “Be part of the team all Starsto be Rookie of the yearto be All-NBA First Team, First-team All-Defense. Definitely win a championship and become one mvp from the league. The high score never crossed my mind because I’ve always been a transition type [a bola] first. I’ve always enjoyed seeing my teammates succeed.”
“The best teacher in life is experience. I think during my career I have improved in every part of my game. There were times when I didn’t really have a low paint game, I wasn’t a threat. There were times it wasn’t a medium-range threat, other times it wasn’t a ranged threat. I evolved where I wanted what I wanted to do on the pitch. I’ve learned a lot over the years.”
Not bad for a guy who has been pretty sure he’s not a goalscorer for a long time.
“I mean, I know how to put the ball in the basket”, he said. “When I say that I am not a goalscorer, I mean in the sense that this has never been the part of my game that defines me. But there is an argument for it. When you look at how long that record has been and how great Kareem is, to be able to pull off something like that. But it’s not for me to argue because I’ve never felt like this.”
abdul-jabbar he remains the all-time leading scorer in NBA history ever since April 5, 1984nearly nine months before the birth of LeBron James, who is now 38 years old.
Unlike Abdul-Jabbar, whose signature hook is etched in bronze outside the Crypto.com Arena, James said picking a move from his offensive repertoire isn’t such an obvious choice.
“It’s not like there’s a fade a leg with dagger [Nowitzki]or a patented one like Michael Jordan, or a hook like Kareem’s,” he said. “I think the only thing that can be a signature that people are always talking about is my transition dunk.”
James is still playing at a high level as his career progresses.but your team is no longer fighting for the top positions in the league. Los Angeles has missed the playoffs two of the four seasons since James’ arrival, and amass an 18-21 mark in the East, now sitting in 12th place.
“I want to win. [A derrota] I don’t likesaid James. “I played good basketball, but I want to win at the top level. Breaking records, scoring and overcoming big names by losing games has never been in my DNA.”.
To illustrate his point, James explained how he decided to miss the final five games of last season to recover from an ankle injury after Los Angeles was sidelined for the postseason.
The winger could have returned to play more games to challenge for the league goal-scoring spot that season.
James averaged 30 points per game in your 19th season.
“Being on the pitch trying to score to score points in games that don’t count just felt so cheesy. I never cared, unless it was about winning.”
Even though it’s been a decade since James won the last of his four mvp of the regular season, he still takes pride in seeing opposing defenses step up to secure him as one of the best players in the league.
“Being able to still be a focal point of my opponent’s observation reports lets me know I’m still playing at a high level,” he said. “I want to continue playing at league level, to be respected every time I touch the pitch as a threat during the minutes I’m playing”.
James still has two years on his contract with the Lakers.
While he has repeatedly expressed hope that the franchise can find a way to field a more competitive team around him throughout his career, there is one other goal that James prioritizes above all else.
“I need to be on the court with my son, I need to be with Bronny,” James said of his oldest son, currently in high school, who will not be able to play in the NBA until the 2024/25 season according to current regulations.
James has expressed this desire before, saying he hoped to be his son’s NBA teammate. However, he changed that position slightly on Friday.
“Either in the same team or in a match against him. I don’t mean how [guardando um ao outro durante todo o jogo] because he’s a point guard and I’m a… well, right now I’m playing center or whatever position the team needs me to,” James said.
“But I’d love to do the whole Ken Griffey thing. That would be ideal for sure.
James assured that he and Bronny aren’t constantly discussing this possibility, but he knows it’s something his son is interested in as well.
“I ask him what his aspirations are and he says he wants to play in the NBA,” James said. “So if he wants to do it, he has to work. I’m already here, so I’m just waiting for him.”
And then there will be another first NBA basket that the James family will get nervous about.
And LeBron, referring to his career points total, said with a laugh: “He has a long way to go to get to me”.
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