Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Attend Games as LeBron James Nears Record, per Report

The torch could pass from one Lakers star to another as early as this week.

LeBron James is poised to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer later this week and will reportedly get the chance to break the league record in front of a very special guest: current record-holder Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

According to Reuters, Abdul-Jabbar will be in attendance for both Lakers home games this upcoming week: Tuesday against the Thunder and Thursday against the Bucks. James, who currently sits 62 points behind Abdul-Jabbar’s record ahead of a Saturday road game against the Pelicans, should have clear opportunities to break the all-time mark at both contests later this week in front of home crowds at Crypto.com Arena. 

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Though James may soon be Abdul-Jabbar’s successor when it comes to holding the NBA scoring crown, the relationship between the two icons has been rather icy in the past. Abdul-Jabbar has been critical of many decisions made by James over the years, including his comment that getting the COVID-19 vaccine was a personal choice. When James was asked before the season what he thought about passing the Lakers legend on the scoring ladder and about his relationship with Abdul-Jabbar, he offered a blunt reply.

“No thoughts and no relationship,” James told reporters.

However, Abdul-Jabbar recently spoke favorably about passing the torch to James. 

“I’ve been carrying the torch as record holder for 38 years,” Abdul-Jabbar told CNN’s Don Lemon, who shared the quote on live television late last month. “I’m excited and relieved to pass it along to the next worthy recipient. LeBron earned it and I hope he carries it even longer than I did.”

With James now clearly in striking distance of Abdul-Jabbar’s career total of 38,387 points, the two NBA icons will get to share a roof this week at Crypto.com Arena as the NBA prepares to crown a new all-time leading scorer.