Now that he’ s climbed a 7-2, statistical mountain, it’ s probably time to put LeBron James’ s mega-accomplishments in perspective. Having toppled Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’ s career total of 38,387 points on Tuesday night, James can now lay legitimate claim to being the GOAT among all sports GOATS. In fact, there may only be one other athlete, past or present, who can be.
Now that he’s climbed a 7-2, statistical mountain, it’s probably time to put LeBron James’s mega-accomplishments in perspective.
Having toppled Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career total of 38,387 points on Tuesday night, James can now lay legitimate claim to being the GOAT among all sports GOATS. In fact, there may only be one other athlete, past or present, who can be compared to him in terms of total dominance — and that transcendent star, Wayne Gretzky, tallied his many points with pucks, not inflated balls.
You can make a case for James’ supremacy with stats, or with your eyes. The slightly duck-footed King ruled for two decades in an expansive variety of ways: with speed, with brute force, with vision, with shooting range, and with supreme focus under pressure. He only grew larger in frame and reputation over the seasons. His attacks down the lane were un-defensible. Whenever an opponent dared to stand in his way, James would simply power through him or throw a no-look pass to a teammate for the open, three-pointer in the corner. He defended. He ran the court, indefatigably, during fourth quarters and the biggest playoff games.
His numbers back up those visuals. He has earned four titles and more than a hundred triple-doubles. He’s averaged 27.2 points per game, 7.5 assists and 7.3 rebounds. He’s shot 50.5% from the field, 34.4% from three-point range. He is the only player in league history to post over 30,000 points, 8,000 rebounds, and 8,000 assists; the only player to be Top 100 all-time in points, assists, rebounds, blocks, three-pointers and steals.
