LeBron Surpasses Wilt Chamberlain, Will Donate Match Ball, Jersey

LeBron James put in his best performance since his summer move to the Los Angeles Lakers as he scored 44 points, nine assists and 10 rebounds to lead his team to a 126-117 comeback win over the Portland Trailblazers on Wednesday night at the Staples Center.

The three-time NBA champion achieved yet another accolade as he surpassed Lakers great Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time point scorer’s list. James is now in fifth place with 31,425 points and it was only earlier this season that he overtook Dirk Nowitzki.

James needed 39 points on the night to surpass Chamberlain and he did so in the fourth quarter when he drew a foul after scoring a floater. The two-point play tied him for fifth place, and he then made it his own when he converted the resulting free throw.

“When I am able to do what I love to do and to do it at this level and even being mentioned with the greats that have ever played this game always brings me back to my hometown of Akron,” James said when asked what it meant to surpass Chamberlain.

“I know where I come from and I know how hard it was to get to this point. It’s never been in satisfied mode and I give it all to the man above for giving me the god given abilities, I am taking full advantage them,” he added. “My coaching staff and teammates over the last 16 years so far has got me to this point.”

James now has four players ahead of him on the list and three of them have played for the Lakers. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is at the top of the list with Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant completing the top three. Next on the Lakers forward’s sights is Michael Jordan, who has 32,292 points and it is possible James catches and surpasses the Chicago Bulls legend before the current campaign concludes in 2019.

Coach Luke Walton also praised James after his achievement and believes the small forward can continue to add to the Lakers legacy by performing consistently as a high level – something he has done from the very start of his career.

“It’s part of what makes working for the Lakers so amazing, is you have this history here,” Lakers head coach Walton said. “That’s obviously a huge list of players. For him to be up there speaks more to what he’s done over his entire career, obviously. The fact that he’s in a Lakers jersey as he does anything more, just adds to the legacy of what the Lakers are.”

James revealed after the game the game ball and his match worn jersey will be sent to the I Promise School in his hometown of Akron. The NBA legend also received wide praise from a number of former and current stars, while former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the first to congratulate the “King James” on his achievement.