A timeout was requested to stop the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder just after LeBron James crossed the historic 38,387 NBA point mark. The live broadcast on US television switched to Joe Biden’s video message.
The President of the USA generously commended the NBA’s new all-time record goalscorer with the milestone. “They took the sport to the next level and challenged and motivated the country to do better,” Biden said.
Biden was unable to attend the game in Los Angeles because the president delivered his annual State of the Union speech to the US House. However, there were also many celebrities among the audience in the Crypto.com arena. Actor Denzel Washington, artists Jay-Z and Usher, and Nike founder Phil Knight wanted to see how James wrote basketball history with his own eyes.
standing ovation
The man who had held the record for almost forty years was also there. The camera zoomed in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar right after James broke the record. The former basketball player, now 75, gave James a standing ovation, as did everyone else in attendance.
For many years it was believed that Abdul-Jabbar’s track record would remain forever. Although the basketball legend of the ’70s and ’80s disagreed. “I always believed that the record could be broken. We just needed a special player who would put his heart and soul into it.”
It took James 20 years to pass Abdul-Jabbar. “LeBron has planned his career to dominate the sport and you have to give him credit for that,” Abdul-Jabbar said.
The game was suspended for about fifteen minutes after James set the record. He was congratulated by his relatives in the field surrounded by dozens of photographers and videographers.
tears of disbelief
Maybe that’s what made James special. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to experience that feeling again. Unless I win the NBA Finals, of course. But then the game doesn’t stop.”
“This gave me a chance to stop and take a good look around,” James said emotionally. A rare thing among basketball legends. “I can count with my fingers how many times I’ve cried in the last 20 years. But now I was feeling the tears. They were tears of disbelief.”
Greetings from the world of basketball. “I never thought that Kareem’s record would be broken,” said Magic Johnson, a star player for the Lakers in the last few decades of the last century. This is truly a historic moment because we will never see a LeBron again.”
“It’s incredible that you’ve been playing at this level for 20 years and reaching the pinnacle of basketball,” said Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry. When we look back on our careers, we can say that we are fighting at the highest level.”
global icon
Lakers coach Darwin Ham said it was an honor to be a part of James’ record run. “LeBron took basketball to the next level. He has become a global icon.”
“He sets an example for many young people at home and abroad on how to be a true professional. How to be passionate, how to be persistent and never be satisfied.”
Kevin Durant is 14th on the all-time leaderboard, the highest ranked active player after James. “You’ve been an inspiration from day one,” said the Brooklyn Nets player. “I wish you love and hope you continue to raise the bar.”
The latter is definitely the intention of James, 38, who broke the record with 38,390 yesterday. “I feel good and my body is still adapting. But it’s all about the mental side. If I’m motivated to fight for the title, I feel like I can do it for years to come.”
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
