Tag: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s deadpan expressions watching LeBron James break his record became an instant meme

PLEASE give the man some space!

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar made his way back to Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Tuesday night to watch LeBron James break his all-time regular season scoring record and play the part of NBA ambassador. While folks like LeBron James’ sons and former rival Paul Pierce were so happy to celebrate James notching the scoring record, “The Captain” was mostly just relaxing court-side.

How do we know this?

Well, in a lot of instances where James made a bucket that drew him closer to Abdul-Jabbar and an eventual historic moment, the cameras kept panning over to capture his reaction. And again. And again. And again. And every time Abdul-Jabbar appeared on camera, he looked as calm and deadpan as ever.

Maybe the broadcast was hoping the 75-year-old would be jumping up and down with the rest of the crowd, but Kareem remained chill about it all.

 

 

Naturally, his reactions became the latest NBA meme.

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Paul Pierce had the weirdest tweets celebrating LeBron James as he broke the scoring record

One might say he was telling “The Truth.”

On a night when LeBron James put himself on top of the NBA’s scoring mountain, surpassing the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, you’d expect people like his sons Bronny and Bryce to pridefully celebrate the moment. After all, they are his family. (You would’ve hoped the same of a teammate in Anthony Davis.)

One person we probably didn’t expect to celebrate James’ extraordinary record mark was Paul Pierce — his former longtime rival, most notably with the Boston Celtics. After James officially got the accomplishment, Pierce fired off a tweet where, among other things, he actually called the Los Angeles Lakers’ star the greatest of all time.

It was admittedly a little weird to see from someone like Pierce!

After Pierce received a ton of confused feedback to his initial tweet, he clarified that James getting the all-time scoring record also made him “underrated.”

While Pierce is another great, I’m not sure how much that particular “underrated” thought has merit. That said, even if the tweets were a little weird, it was still really cool to see him celebrating James.

Video caught LeBron’s sons Bronny and Bryce erupting in pride as he broke the scoring record

Bronny KNEW it was going in!

Undoubtedly, one of the best moments of LeBron James breaking the NBA’s all-time scoring record on Tuesday night was seeing how his family reacted. Of particular note was watching his teenage sons, Bryce and Bronny, who had the pleasure of sitting courtside as the Los Angeles Lakers star neared tremendous basketball history.

A video from the NBA happened to be fixed on Bryce and Bronny on the possession that James could finally sit atop the all-time scoring throne. And for two young men clearly so proud of their father’s accomplishments, even just describing how both erupted in joy doesn’t do this clip justice.

I mean, Bronny called his dad’s shot!

Wow. How both blow up as soon as James has the mark is just special.

Later in the post-game locker room, Bronny would show his dad the clip he got him of breaking the record. This was another cool moment enjoying the father-son time together, as James appreciated Bronny getting another angle of the moment.

On a night when he entered legendary status, the people closest to LeBron James could properly celebrate him. What more can you ask for?

NBA players react to LeBron breaking all-time scoring record: ‘First name greatest, last name ever…’

Here’s how former and current NBA players reacted to LeBron James surpassing Kareem-Abdul Jabbar in the all-time scoring list.

LeBron James officially became the NBA’s all-time scoring leader after surpassing Kareem-Abdul Jabbar on Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

After fans, NBA players took on Twitter to congratulate the King on a major accomplishment.

LeBron James shockingly dropped an uncensored f-bomb after setting the NBA’s scoring record

LeBron could not have been more candid.

LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and became the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, and the moment it happened was unforgettable.

During the ceremony in which LeBron acknowledged the unthinkable accomplishment, the Lakers superstar was overcome with emotion and didn’t hold back from speaking candidly about exactly how he was feeling.

While reflecting on the truly excellent human achievement, LeBron tried to be eloquent but couldn’t help but release an expletive. It was as candid as one could possibly want to see from one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Watch the hilarious moment LeBron shared with the Los Angeles crowd:

NOTE: This video contains language that is not safe for work. 

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NBA Twitter reacts to LeBron James breaking the all-time scoring record: ‘This is never happening again’

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to LeBron James becoming the all-time leading scorer in NBA history.

LeBron James made history on Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time leading scorer in the history of the NBA.

NBA Twitter reacted to LeBron making history… with many fans claiming he’s now the greatest player of all time.

Watch the exact moment LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to break the scoring record

This moment will go down in history.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James made history and broke the NBA’s all-time scoring record, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

LeBron, who needed 36 points to establish himself as the greatest scorer in league history, went on an impressive scoring rampage against the Oklahoma City Thunder in pursuit of putting his name in the record books.

James managed to score the historic basket that basketball fans will remember on a jumper against Oklahoma City’s Kenrich Williams. He reached 38,388 points during his NBA regular-season career on a thrilling fadeaway midrange basket near the end of the third quarter during Tuesday’s game.

Watch the exact moment that LeBron broke Abdul-Jabbar’s long-held record:

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LeBron James unsurprisingly believes he’s the NBA’s ‘GOAT’

Is LeBron James the GOAT?

LeBron James thinks that LeBron James is the best basketball player of all time.

In a deeply unsurprising development, James shared Tuesday that he feels he’s the best to ever hit a basketball court. His declaration comes ahead of him potentially breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record.

With the Los Angeles Lakers superstar about to make even more league history, it’s understandable he’d feel the way he does. Well, that, and declaring yourself the best-ever to do something confirms that, sometimes, we’re our biggest fans.

The pride of Akron will have plenty of celebrations coming his way once he passes Abdul-Jabbar’s record, but for now, he’s coronating himself The King.

Well, they say pride cometh before the fall, but the only thing falling in James’ path anytime soon is the all-time scoring record.

It’s going to be an eternal debate as to who the best basketball player of all time is. Some say James. Some say Abdul-Jabbar. Some go Michael Jordan. Some feel it’s Magic Johnson or Larry Bird. Some argue Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant and Bill Russell. Some would even bring up Shaq.

We know how James feels about it.

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Stan Van Gundy on LeBron James’ scoring record, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and learning slang from KD

“I was an old coach and there was worse you could come up with on me.”

LeBron James is going to make history and break the NBA’s all-time scoring record, and at this point, it’s just a matter of when and how.

He will have his first legitimate chance at passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by attempting to score more than 36 points when the Lakers host the Oklahoma City Thunder in Los Angeles at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday evening.

The game will be broadcast on TNT and Stan Van Gundy will serve as the color commentator as LeBron attempts to break history. He will be joined by play-by-play announcer Brian Anderson and reporter Stephanie Ready.

Van Gundy, who recently started using slang words like “bussin” during his broadcasts, caught up with For The Win to discuss the big game. He spoke about LeBron, Kareem, his hilarious Twitter interaction with Kevin Durant, and more.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. 

LeBron James isn’t breaking the scoring record with a skyhook, sorry everyone!

James rarely even tries this shot! Why would he do it now?

Tuesday night might see LeBron James make NBA history. If the future Hall of Famer scores 36 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he will officially surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record of 38,387 points. And if James doesn’t do it Tuesday, he will almost certainly take the record home against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.

Knowing how James sometimes weirdly approaches situations, folks in the NBA world have started to speculate about the shot he’ll use to surpass Abdul-Jabbar. For a prolific scorer like him, any of the standard dunks, three-point attempts, free throws, or lay-ups will likely suffice.

But what if James wants to really commemorate capturing a basketball record that previously seemed insurmountable? What if, in a nod to Abdul-Jabbar, James uses his patented skyhook?

Friends, I’m here to tell you it’s likely… not going to happen!

For one, James only has two made hook shots all season. Take a slight step back to last year, and he made just two then, too! While I wouldn’t put it past James to try a skyhook once he only needs a couple of points, I will doubt that he actually makes the shot given his precedent.

For The Win’s Bryan Kalbrosky dug into the stats to find out which scoring method is most likely for James to break the record. The results are fascinating.

Here’s James’ complete catalog of shot attempts and shot makes in 2022-2023:

Two of four. Two of four!

The odds are also ever not in James’ favor to make a skyhook for a new record. According to FanDuel, as of Monday evening, oddsmakers expect him to surpass Abdul-Jabbar with a layup. A skyhook would safely be under the category of “other,” — which can, quite literally, encompass any other shot selection not listed:

Now, while the odds favor a layup for James to break the record, the bet that appears to have the best value is a much more anti-climatic free throw in the fourth quarter.

Here’s a look at his fourth-quarter scoring output, per Kalbrosky:

FanDuel is currently offering LeBron James to Score his 38,388th Regular Season Point in the 4th Quarter with a Free Throw (Any Game) +1900. It’s a wager worth monitoring.

Look, it would be absurdly cool if James could honor Abdul-Jabbar with the move that got him to the top of the NBA record books. I do not deny that. But, all things considered, James following through on such a plan is a different story. It’s the longest of long (hook) shots.

Save your money. Go with a layup or free throw, and when the moment comes — watch him celebrate.