After passing Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan for fourth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has nothing but praise for MJ and recognizes the influence and impact His Airness had on him while growing up.

LeBron has previously said that being spoken in the same breath as Jordan is huge for him, and he doubled down on that regard after the Lakers' defeat to the Denver Nuggets, saying that MJ served as an inspiration to him. He also emphasized that without the Bulls great, he wouldn't be the person and player that he is today.

Entering Wednesday's showdown, LeBron James needed just 13 points to move past Michael Jordan on the list. He easily achieved that mark in the second quarter of the game en route to finishing with 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

LeBron turned emotional after hitting the milestone, as he was seen reflecting on his historic achievement during the game.

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LeBron will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest players to ever play the game. It's still up for debate if he can ever touch MJ on the GOAT conversation, but there's no denying that the four-time MVP deserves all respect and recognition. Besides, one could say that James is in a league of his own, as he is the only player in league history to be in the top-10 of all-time points and assists.

Unfortunately for James, he doesn't have much time to enjoy his latest feat. Following their defeat to Denver, the Lakers are now in real danger of missing the playoffs. That means LeBron's streak of eight straight NBA Finals appearances and 13 consecutive playoffs will come to an end.