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On this day in 2017, LeBron James scored 35 points with the Cleveland Cavaliers to surpass Hall of Famer Michael Jordan as the all-time playoff scoring leader in NBA history.
James accomplished the feat after splashing a deep 3-pointer in the third quarter for his 29th point of the game. His shot moved him to 5,989 career points in the playoffs, passing Jordan’s 5,987 career points, which was the record for 19 years.
He reached that mark in 212 games, compared to 179 games for Jordan.
The performance came in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals as the Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics to advance to the NBA Finals for a third straight year. James also added eight rebounds and eight assists in the 135-102 win.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wCcNTSi4EA
After advancing to the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers would eventually lose to the Golden State Warriors in five games. The 2016-17 season was James’ second to last season with the Cavaliers before signing with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.
Of course, James has since added to his playoff total since surpassing Jordan four years ago. Following the Lakers’ defeat in Game 1 on Sunday to the Phoenix Suns, in which James scored 18 points, he is now up to 7,509 career points in the playoffs.
The next highest active player on the all-time postseason scoring list is Kevin Durant, who is ninth with 4,075 career points.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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