LeBron James continues surge toward NBA’s all-time scoring record, leads Lakers with 37 in wild win over Kings

LeBron James continues to creep closer to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career scoring record. After scoring 37 points in the Lakers’ wild 136-134 victory over the Kings on Saturday, James, who is averaging 38 points over his last four games, is now within 423 points of becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. 

Below you can see where the race stands following Saturday’s action. 

For the season, James is now averaging 29.1 points per game. If he maintains that pace, he would need 15 more games to pass Jabbar. If James doesn’t sit out any games between now and then, and again, if the pace is maintained, the record would come against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb. 7. 

It might be unlikely that James doesn’t sit out any games over this stretch when the Lakers are scheduled for back-to-backs, but having played on Friday night vs. Atlanta, this was a back-to-back in Sacramento on Saturday and James didn’t look the least bit fazed. He is keeping the Lakers afloat until Anthony Davis can get back, and frankly, he might not be able to take a game off. 

If James does take a few extra games to break Jabbar’s record, the league surely won’t mind; the Lakers host the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 9 and visit the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 11, both on national television. 

• LeBron’s last three games: 37 at Sacramento; 25 at Atlanta, 43 at Charlotte
• LeBron’s next three games: at Denver (Jan. 9), vs. Dallas (Jan. 12), vs. Philadelphia (Jan. 15)

“I’m excited to see it happen. I don’t see records as personal accomplishments, but more as human achievements,” Adbul-Jabbar said ahead of the 2021-22 season about LeBron potentially breaking his record. “If one person can do something that’s never been done, that means we all have a shot at doing it. It’s a source of hope and inspiration. Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile back in 1954. Since then, not only have 1,400 runners beaten that time, but the new record is 17 seconds less. We all win when a record is broken and if LeBron breaks mine, I will be right there to cheer him on.”

This post will update after each game until LeBron is atop the all-time scoring list.