With the third quarter winding down, LeBron James caught the ball in the high post at the right elbow. Needing two points to become the new all-time scoring leader, the 38-year-old operated his way into a one-legged fadeaway jumper on Kenrich Williams.
Swish.
Just like that, James made basketball history by scoring his 36th point of the night to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most all-time points in league history.
HISTORY.
With this bucket, LeBron James moves past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer! pic.twitter.com/N6V5RxPe6r
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 8, 2023
The capacity crowd counted down and cheered for every bucket James made. It erupted on the record-breaking shot and a celebration ensued.
An unprecedented mid-game ceremony featured NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Abdul-Jabbar celebrating James’ historic accomplishment.
After the extended pause, the Oklahoma City Thunder spoiled the night a bit for James and the Los Angeles Lakers in a 133-130 win.
The aura surrounding Tuesday’s game would intimidate most teams — especially one the youngest teams in the league. But not the Thunder.
“Tonight was obviously an incredibly unique experience,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “It’s a team that has grown through these challenges. When we conquer a challenge — I think we conquered a challenge tonight in terms of our poise and maturity — it gives us confidence.”
A 21-8 fourth-quarter run led the Thunder to the win. With emotions and momentum heavily tilting in the Lakers’ favor due to James making history, the Thunder weren’t fazed by the atmosphere.
The run gave the Thunder a 13-point lead with 3:27 left and created enough distance on the scoreboard to secure the road win — even with a late Lakers run closing that gap.
James will get all of the headlines — deservedly so — but this was a stellar showing for the Thunder when all eyes in the sports world were on them.
The Thunder might’ve only been on TNT because of James chasing history, but they left an impressive mark with the win.
Defense was optional in the game as both teams produced points at an efficient level.
The Thunder went 49-of-94 (52.1%) from the field and 17-of-34 (50%) from 3 on 32 team assists. They also went 18-of-20 (90%) from the free-throw line.
Meanwhile, the Lakers went 49-of-85 (57.6%) from the field and 14-of-31 (45.2%) from 3 on 27 team assists. They also went 18-of-26 (69.2%) from the free-throw line.
The most exciting thing is the fact multiple players on the Thunder contributed to the win, including several of their young core.
Six Thunder players scored at least 10 points, including four starters: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams. The last three were additions to the team in the last two draft classes.
People tuned in to see James make history, but the Thunder also showed viewers a glimpse as to what the future could hold.
For the Lakers, outside of James’ record-breaking 38 points, there wasn’t a whole lot. Russell Westbrook recorded 27 points and eight assists off the bench. Anthony Davis was held to 13 points and nine rebounds.
Besides James and Westbrook, nobody else on the Lakers took more than nine shots.
They knew the mission.
Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.