After 20 years of excellence, LeBron James has finally left Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the dirt. With his 38-point performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder, James became the all-time leading points scorer in NBA history. Interestingly, LeBron James was born a little less than 9 months after Kareem passed Wilt Chamberlain on the scoring board.
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It took 38 years to dethrone Kareem. A feat that was once thought impossible. Especially because LeBron and Kareem played in such different eras, it was hard to imagine anyone ever matching the kind of offensive output displayed by the progenitor of the famed Sky Hook.
Jabbar retired in June 1989. LeBron joined the league 14 years later in 2003. Their eras never coincided and yet they are now linked in history. So fascinating to see how two athletes from such different times have become so interlinked in the recent past.
In honor of this link that surpasses time and eras, today’s article will list every player who has played with both LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
7 Players have played against both LeBron James and Kareem
There have been only 7 players in NBA history who were fortunate enough to face both LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Scottie Pippen narrowly missed the list. He was with the Bulls in 2003-04 but never suited up against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Reggie Miller (1987-2005)
Reggie Miller is easily the most successful player on this list. The Indiana Pacers legend played in the league from 1987 to 2005. So, Miller was able to play 2 seasons while Kareem was still active, and two seasons after LeBron James entered the league.
Reggie played against James on 7 different occasions. The two met for the first time in July 2003 and for the last time in May 2005. Reggie averaged 12 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 3.6 threes per game against James. Meanwhile, Bron averaged 24.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game when facing Reggie.
On the other hand, the Knick Killer played only 3 games against Kareem all of which happened in the 1988-89 season. Reggie averaged only 9.3 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists against Jabbar. The Lakers legend on the other hand averaged 13.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Horace Grant (1987-2004)
An undeniable enforcer and crucial key for the Chicago Bulls, Horace Grant was a defensive beast who won 4 championships. He played 4 games against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar where he averaged 9.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. Kareem, on the other hand, registered 10.5 points and 4 rebounds in those 4 games.
In contrast, Grant faced off LeBron James only twice in his entire career. He averaged 8.5 points and 10.5 rebounds against the all-time scoring leader. LeBron was far more lethal when facing Horace though. He averaged an impressive 24 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game against Grant.
Mark Jackson (1987-2004)
Today, Mark Johnson is seen as one of the most popular sportscasters in recent history. Known for coining the famous catchphrase ‘Mama, there goes that man,’ Jackson played 17 years in the NBA.
His career spanned from 1987 to 2004 and appeared against LeBron once in his career. However, Jackson scored zero points and just had 2 assists in the game. Even LeBron had a slow game against Jackson and scored just 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Meanwhile, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jackson played against each other on 4 separate occasions. Mark Jackson averaged 14.5 points, 12.3 assists, and 4.0 rebounds against Kareem. Meanwhile, Jabbar averaged 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 4 games against Mark Jackson.
Olden Polynice (1987-2004)
A former Sacramento Kings player, Olden Polynice started his career in the NBA in 1987 and played till 2004. However, Polynice did not play in the NBA in 20021-02 and 2002-03. He returned again in 2003-04 to play for the Los Angeles Clippers.
On his return to the league for his final season, Polynice was fortunate enough to play against LeBron. Polynice had 0 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist in the game. LeBron also had a poor performance in the game. James had 4 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds.
In his 11 games against Kareem, Polynice fared a little better. He averaged 4.1 points and 3.3 rebounds. The Lakers legend, on the other hand, averaged 8.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists.
Kevin Willis (1984-2007)
Kevin Willis, though lesser known, is a 1-time All-Star. The 7ft big man played 21 seasons in the league of which 11 were for the Atlanta Hawks. In his long career, Willis had the opportunity to play against LeBron and Jabbar. He played 8 games against the Bucks legend and 5 against James.
When Kareem was still active, Kevin Willis was a decent player. He averaged 16.5 points and 9.8 rebounds against him. In contrast, Jabbar also fared much better in the games he played against Willis than the names mentioned previously on the list. He averaged 18.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in the 8 games.
Kevin’s performance against LeBron wasn’t as good. He managed to average a meager 3 points and 3 rebounds. Meanwhile, LeBron averaged 27.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists in the 5 games against LBJ.
Avery Johnson (1988-2004)
A talented point guard, Avery Johnson played for 5 different franchises in his 16 years in the league. The best numbers of Johnson’s career were registered during his tenure with the San Antonio Spurs.
Despite starting his professional career in Kareem’s last season, Avery Johnson had the opportunity to face Kareem in 5 games. He averaged 2.0 points and 1.5 assists, while Kareem averaged 4.5 points, 5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists.
Unfortunately, Johnson played just a single game against James and had only 5 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. LeBron had a far better game than Avery and dropped 29.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in the game.
Rod Strickland (1988-2005)
Strickland is one of the better players on the list with a lot more consistency than others. Pound to pound, only Reggie Miller would be a better player than Strickland.
In his career, Strickland faced LeBron James four times, and Kareem twice. He averaged 5 points and 2.5 assists in games he played against the 7ft 2″ center, while Jabbar averaged 13 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in those two games.
Even though in the final two years of his career when LeBron joined the league, Strickland still registered better numbers against James than he did against Kareem. He averaged 8 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 4 matches. Lebron, meanwhile, averaged 23.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4 assists.
