Off a timely cut to the basket with a 5:20 remaining the first half of the Los Angeles Lakers loss to the Washington Wizards, LeBron James passed Karl Malone to move into the No. 2 spot on the NBA's regular-season career points list.

A night after playing 45 minutes and dropping 36/9/7 in a win over the Toronto Raptors, LeBron — a game-time decision who many, like me, assumed would sit out and pass Malone in Cleveland on Monday — finished with 38 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists in 36 minutes (take that, Gilbert!).

“Just to be a part of this league, to be linked with some of the greatest to ever play this game — guys who I've either watched or studied or read about or even inspired to be like — just at a loss of words for it,” LeBron said. “It's an honor for myself and my hometown and my family and my friends to be able to live these moments throughout this journey — and that's exactly who I do it for … Anybody who's been a part of this journey.”

Following the Raptors game, the 37-year old was asked whether he sees some of himself in Malone — a fellow 6'9 forward known for his elite physique and nearly unmatched longevity.

“Absolutely,” LeBron said. “Guys that just took care of their bodies for the majority of their career and always wanted to be available to their teammates. The most important leadership for you is to try to be available as much as possible on the floor. I think myself and him, we always just tried to be in uniform and make plays and stay in condition and try to stay healthy, stay injury-free as much as you can and also be productive on the floor.”

It's worth noting: LeBron is making a point to play out the season on a weary left knee, despite his team's ongoing swoon out of contention.

 

“To be able to play the game at a high level for so many years and to be able to just embrace everything that's come his way along this journey is an amazing feature to witness overall,” said Russell Westbrook, who himself is struggling to transition into the second phase of his career. “To see him constantly keep climbing up the ladder — that's pretty crazy to see, that he's able to have that many points over so many years.”

LeBron has hit a handful of milestones in his 19th season. On each occasion, though, the accomplishment has been dampened by a loss — fitting for a season in which the Lakers have routinely “wasted” 30+ point outbursts from their best player.

In February, LeBron — who is openly seeking respect for his bucket-getting prowess — moved into the top spot on the NBA's all-time scoring list, including playoffs, in a loss to the Golden State Warriors. Last week, he became the only member of the 30K/10K/10K club (he's the only member of the 10K/10K/10K club, too) in a 29-point drubbing by the Phoenix Suns. (In prior seasons, the Lakers have lost games when he eclipsed Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan in scoring.)

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On Saturday, the Lakers led for the bulk of the evening before their defense let up in the fourth quarter. They were outscored 34-20 in the final frame by the Wizards and fell 127-119.

“I can't separate the fact that we weren't able to get this win with me accomplishing that because, at the end of the day, all I care about is wins and losses,” LeBron lamented. “We had a great opportunity to pick up some more momentum, especially after last night's win…and last quarter we let it go.”

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7EgzP7taFiZULFQXPKD78T?si=53e39a92352a42fe

 

“Trying to separate it, it's bittersweet,” Frank Vogel opined. “But I think it's important to separate it. This is a moment in time that we can't get caught up in the pain of this loss and recognize what an incredible feat this is for LeBron.”

Vogel specifically praised the “fashion” in which LeBron set the record. “He just attacked the game tonight. He came in and was aggressive on both sides of the ball…really playing with incredible energy after playing 45 minutes last night.”

“Just a signature performance in a game where he passes one of the greats.”

LeBron now trails Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by 1,440 points on the NBA's all-time list — putting him on pace to set the record midway through next season. He's also vying to become the oldest player to win a scoring title. LeBron is currently neck-and-neck with Joel Embiid for the top spot. The Lakers (30-41) have 11 games remaining.

“I will not allow myself to think about it,” LeBron said when asked about catching Kareem. “I've always just played the game the way I've been playing it over the years and these things have just happened organically by going out and playing the right way…I hope to accomplish that at some point in my career but I won't think about it too much pretty much until we get there, hopefully.”