With family and lifelong friends in attendance, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was in a reflective mood after breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena — an achievement that doubled as a celebration of his talent, longevity, and dedication.

“This ride has been fantastic,” said LeBron, before describing his lifelong enjoyment of “testing out” new roller-coasters at the Cedar Point amusement park near his hometown.

“Many highs, many loops, how fast it is…you get off feeling so much excitement. And just feeling like, ‘I want to do it again.' And I think my career has been like that. It's been like one of the great rides at Cedar Point in the sense that, your stomach drops at times, you’re excited, you’re yelling, sometimes you can’t breathe. But you always want to do it again. And it’s been a pleasure and an honor so far in my career, within these 20 years, through the ups and the downs and the ins and the outs, through the trials and tribulations, I’ve always maintained me. I've done it my way. I didn't want to emulate anybody…It's been great.”

 

LeBron James is, officially, the most prolific scorer in NBA history. And yet, above putting the ball in the basket, his greatest strength is his intelligence, his chess playing — his understanding of how to read the floor and properly react. In fact, it's why he personally believes he's better at basketball than anybody in history.

Like Kareem, the defining aspect of LeBron's career has been longevity. His first NBA bucket came as an 18-year-old on Oct. 29, 2003. He missed 29 regular-season games through his first eight seasons. He made eight straight Finals and racked up a gazillion minutes. At age 38, he's averaging 30.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and leading the NBA in fast-break points.

On Tuesday — and not for the first time this season — he credited his unprecedented two-decade run of excellence to his adaptability (his work ethic and physical commitment are essential factors, too).

“I know what I bring to the table,” he said after scoring 38 points on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Lakers loss. “A guy that's been able to transform his game over 20 years to be able to play any position in this league and excel at any position. I can play 1-through-5. I've led the league in assists. I've been able to do whatever this game has wanted me to do and also just transformed my game as well.”

One week before breaking the scoring record, LeBron moved into fourth place on the all-time assists list. He was perhaps the league's most fearsome defender in his prime Miami Heat years and is among the best clutch performers ever. Last season, Frank Vogel constantly praised LeBron for playing center and the roll-man while Anthony Davis missed time with injury.

LeBron's epic night was tinged with nostalgia. The tunnel outside the Lakers; locker room was packed with close pals who flew in for the occasion. James broke down in tears after his record-breaking signature fadeaway. Many of his postgame answers touched on his upbringing in Akron and the folks along the way who helped him get to this point. That included his coaches and teammates who developed him into a high school phenom and instilled the basketball intelligence that has been the true key to his success and engendered an open-mindedness about his style of play. (His sons have inherited their dad's hoops IQ.)

“I was taught the right way how to play the game for 10 years before (my NBA debut),” said LeBron, who has been an outspoken critic of youth basketball coaching. “One thing I've learned being in the NBA over 20 years: there's a lot of people not teaching the game the right way. I knew I came from a group of guys and a group of coaches that taught us to play the game the right way.

“No matter how many times I've heard, ‘Why didn't he take the shot?' or ‘Why did he pass to a teammate?' … I never wavered because I know for sure it was the right way to play the game.”

That conscientiousness is ultimately what has made LeBron James a uniquely sustainable legend. It isn't just the possession-to-possession adjustments; it's his utter willingness to play any position, learn any move or shot, and adjust his style to keep up with the times. Not only is that exceedingly rare in NBA history for stars of his caliber — it's exceedingly smart.

“When I first got into the league, it was very slow. I remember we had a playoff game with (the Detroit Pistons), we was in the 70s. Finals games with the (San Antonio Spurs), in the 80s. To now, you're seeing teams score 150, you have to keep up. More threes, things of that nature. Just being able to stay with the curve and changing the game if I needed to or just improve my game.”

As for whether all of that — the record, the IQ, the longevity, the versatility, evolution, the teaching — makes him the GOAT?

“I can't take nobody over me,” he said.