With a chance to surpass Kobe Bryant on the NBA's all-time scoring list on Saturday night, LeBron James honored the Los Angeles Lakers legend by writing “Mamba 4 Life” on his sneakers.
.@KingJames wrote "Mamba 4 Life" on his shoes as he has a chance to pass @kobebryant for third on the all-time scoring list 🐍 pic.twitter.com/9n6afaaXBR
— ESPN (@espn) January 26, 2020
And it didn't go to waste as “The King” just recently officially became the third-leading scorer in NBA history.
James entered Saturday night needing to score 18 points to officially pass the “Black Mamba”. He even did it in Philadelphia, where Bryant was born.
LeBron James made the historic bucket on a drive to the basket with 7:23 remaining in the third quarter. The layup helped the Lakers to trim the Sixers' huge lead in the evening.
Bryant amassed a total of 33,643 points throughout his Hall of Fame career. Up next on James' list is Utah Jazz legend and Hall of Famer Karl Malone, who scored 36,928 points in his 19-year career. That's over 3,000 points, and it will probably take James a couple of seasons to officially nab the second spot.
Of course, sitting comfortably at the top of the list is another Lakers legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who finished with 38,387 points, a little over 5,000 points from where James is right now.
There's a real threat that James can eventually become the NBA's all-time leading scorer when it's all said and done. The King is still playing at an elite level despite being 35 years old and in his 17th NBA season.
James is on a mission to capture his fourth NBA championship this season and he's doing a magnificent job leading the Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference. While the scoring crown may eventually be on his sights down the road, James is busy trying to add another Larry O'Brien trophy to his hardware collection.
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