Today in Sports History: 4/5 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Becomes NBA All-Time Points Leader

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Today in sports history (1984), Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar broke the NBA all-time points leader record. Abdul-Jabbar scored his 31,420th point against the Utah Jazz. The previous record-holder, Wilt Chamberlain, was one of Abdul-Jabbar’s biggest rivals in the NBA.

Kareem went on to play through the 1989 season. Between the time that he broke Chamberlain’s NBA record to the time that he retired, Abdul-Jabbar scored an additional 6,967 points. He is currently still the NBA all-time points leader, with 38,387 points. With Kareem holding the record for 38 years many have tried, but have not been able to pass him. With that being said, LeBron James currently (4-5-2022) sits at 37,062.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Becomes the NBA All-Time Points Leader

Other than LeBron James, there may not have been a more hyped prospect coming out of high school than Lew Alcindor in basketball history. Alcindor (Abdul-Jabbar) excelled at Power Memorial High School in New York before dominating at UCLA in college. Finally, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks. He instantly made an impact in the Cream City, bringing the Bucks to two championship series and winning one. After he felt his time at Milwaukee was passed, he moved to Los Angeles where after a couple of years he teamed up with Magic Johnson to form one of the best duos in NBA history.

Abdul-Jabbar was known for his signature skyhook. With Abdul-Jabbar’s skyhook, he could score from anywhere on the court at any time. The skyhook is called the most unstoppable shot in basketball history for a reason.

Throughout his career, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 24.6 points per game over 20 seasons. In addition to his incredible scoring, Abdul-Jabbar had the record for most minutes played and blocked shots when he retired.

In terms of guys who can pass Kareem for NBA all-time points leader, the aforementioned James will pass Kareem within the next two seasons. Carmelo Anthony currently sits at ninth on the all-time scoring list, 10,000 points behind Abdul-Jabbar. Could a guy like Giannis Antetokounmpo pass Kareem? Giannis just passed Kareem for most points in Milwaukee Bucks history. James will pass Kareem, leading to the question, will anyone ever pass James?

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