When Kareem Abdul Jabbar played his last regular season NBA game in April of 1989, his tally of 38,387 career points seemed so far out of reach that just about every commentator and pundit at the time declared it “an unbreakable record.” When he broke the record close to four decades ago, and only added to the tally by a significant margin -- another 7,000 odd points after beating Wilt Chamberlain's record -- the narrative was the only one that made sense.
Over the next almost 34 years, there have been extraordinary basketball players and scorers who have come and gone, who have had long, stellar careers -- Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Dirk Nowitzki, and a whole host of others.
But perhaps none more exemplary than Michael Jordan himself. Jordan was already scoring for fun when Kareem played his last game, and with almost 12,000 points scored before the 90s even came about in just four full seasons, if anyone could beat Kareem's points tally, it had to be the man whom most basketball fans still consider to be the greatest player of all time.
The fact that Michael Jordan finished his career with 6,000 fewer points than Kareem tells us that to sustain excellence is among the hardest things to do in sports -- and why Lebron James today breaking that record that has stood for so long is even more extraordinary.
It is tough to reach the pinnacle of any sport, much less such a physically demanding one such as basketball. Regular injuries are expected, there is politics, turmoil, team chemistry, luck, and a whole host of other factors to consider at all times. Kareem Abdul Jabbar had a long and storied career, which many considered the greatest end to end basketball career of all time -- until now.
While many expected Lebron James to try beat Kareem's record with the “skyhook,” the unblockable shot with which Kareem scored most of his points, or one of his patented “tomahawk” dunks that he can somehow still manage this late into his career, it was with a Jordan-esque falling fadeaway mid-range jump shot that Lebron cemented his place atop the points mountain in NBA history.
But while the record itself is incredible in and of itself, the manner in which Lebron has managed to eclipse it is even more impressive.
Let me go on record here to say that I am not a Lebron James fan. There are many aspects of his game that I do not like, and the same is true for certain aspects of his on-court personality and demeanour.
What I cannot deny is that Lebron James is the most complete basketball player that has ever played the game, with a larger skillset and repertoire than any player in history. The simple statistic to back this up -- he is the only player in the history of the sport to have 10,000 points, rebounds, and assists.
What is also undeniable is that no athlete in history has had the sustained level of excellence that he has had, who in his 20th year in the NBA, at 38 years old, is still, comfortably, one of the 10 best players in the world averaging 30 points per game. Many, perhaps rightfully, claim that he remains the best player when it matters the most.
It's important to highlight just how incredible it is to play 20 years in the NBA -- only a handful of players have ever done so in the game's 75 year history. To still be playing over 36 minutes a game and scoring 30 points a game at this stage of his career is such an anomaly, such a statistical outlier, that it defies expectations and belief.
But it's not just Father Time that Lebron has defied. It's also one narrative after the other - perhaps none more ludicrous than the notion that he isn't a “scorer.” The man has averaged over 25 points per game per season -- 25 is generally considered the hallmark of excellence for scoring average -- for 19 seasons straight. Nineteen! Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Karl Malone -- the three names I mentioned near the beginning and the first two generally considered the two best scorers in NBA history, each had 12 consecutive seasons. The gap of seven seasons is many a player's entire careers!
And yet, why would he not have the narrative of “not being a scorer?” With over 10,000 assists, he is in the top 5 in the all time assists for the NBA, and most pundits -- and Lebron himself -- have always labeled him as a “pass-first” player, who excels in setting his teammates up. He is unquestionably one of the greatest passers in the history of basketball -- he also just happens to be one of the greatest scorers in basketball history as well.
There is no knowing when Lebron James will stop; despite it being his 20th year, and him being 38, he is clearly still one of the best players in the world. When he decides to call it quits, it might be with statistical achievements that are truly unreachable.
For now though, with his naysayers, he has broken the one record he had no business breaking, proving once again that, love him or hate him, he is undeniable.
AHM Mustafizur Rahman is Joint Editor, Editorial and Op-Ed at the Dhaka Tribune
