NBA
Which current players could break LeBron James’ scoring record?
LeBron broke the all-time points record - but who could realistically catch him?
LeBron James broke the all-time scoring record against Oklahoma City Thunder, when his 38 points in the 133-130 defeat allowing him to tick past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387 total. The LA Lakers player needed 36 to surpass the record, and he managed to do so with a fadeaway jumper in the 3rd quarter; Abdul-Jabbar stood an applauded in a true show of class as Lebron’s outstretched arms soaked in the adoration from the fans who witnessed the historic moment.
James, 38, still has time on his side before he stops playing, so his record score will no doubt increase - but are there any other active players who might be able to catch him?
Steph Curry
A few things go in Curry’s favour when it comes to talking about the record: firstly, he is only 34, which means he has 4 years on LeBron, enough time, you might say, to catch him. The point guard also has a reputation of hitting triples, which will no doubt also help. However, his top points total in a season is 2,300, and given that he is 17,000 behind James, catching him doesn’t seem a mathematical probability.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
On the list of active players who have any shot of catching LeBron, Giannis Antetokounmpo sits in 11th place. This, although it seems quite far down, explains itself by virtue of the fact that the player is a whopping 10 years younger than LeBron James, and given that the Bucks look to be consistent challengers at the highest level, those 23,000 points that he needs is not wholly impossible. However, nothing in sport is linear, and his progression/game time might not go in a straight line; if he is to catch the total, a huge slice of good fortune also needs to come his way.
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Luka Doncic
Despite having only been in the league for 5 years, Luka Doncic has lit up the NBA season after season and is currently the top scorer this season. The ex-Real Madrid man is turning into a points scorer that is becoming impossible to stop; his average of over 34 points per game this season would need to be maintained for over a decade in order to catch The King. However, his injury record may see the odds grow longer as time goes on. Unlikely? Yes. Impossible? Absolutely not.
Kevin Durant
Did you think I forgot? Durant is the closest active player to LeBron in the all-time top scorers list and stands at 12,000 behind him, but is only 4 years younger. This doesn’t give a lot of time for the Brooklyn forward to catch up to the record number, but it is not impossible. A couple of other things also go against him: his injury record is not the cleanest and his record points total in a season has never surpassed 3,000. Stranger things have happened in sport than a late surge in form and fitness, but it would be a herculean effort for Durant to do so.