After scoring six points in the first quarter, James came out firing in the second. He scored the Lakers’ first 15 points of the quarter to pass Malone. James hit a cutting layup on a feed from Stanley Johnson at the 5:20 mark to give him 36,929 points, one better than Malone. “Just to be a part of this league for as many years as I’ve been a part of it and being linked to some of the greatest who’ve ever played this game, guys I’ve either watched or studied or read about or aspired to be like … I’m just always lost for words for it,” James said. “It’s an honor for myself, for my hometown, for my family and my friends to be able to live these moments throughout this journey. And that’s exactly who I do it for.”