Thomas Bryant was recently on a video for Playmaker HQ where he spoke about a number of things. Going into his career in depth, Bryant had some very interesting things to say about his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. In particular, what it was like witnessing LeBron James surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the all-time scoring list.
Advertisement
He recalled how the King gave him specific instructions. He was to stay in the post and take advantage of the smaller defender. Bryant did exactly that but noticed after looking around that everyone had their cameras out.
As expected, he was bewildered because, in his mind, Bron still had six or seven points to go. “Bron says, ‘If I see you on that wing against a smaller defender, get your a** in that post’. So I’m doing what he tells me to do, and I’m looking around right before he shot the ball and I’m like, ‘Why does everybody have their camera out?’,” said Bryant.
Thomas Bryant explains why he was desperately calling for the ball before LeBron’s record breaking shot pic.twitter.com/91ilbO4MJ3
— 〰️ (@MANOMAGlC) November 3, 2023
It certainly was an incredible moment, and one only the Lakers players and the OKC Thunder players can say they were on the court for. Bryant will undoubtedly never forget it.
Several celebrities showed up for LeBron James’ record-breaking moment
The Lakers players and Thunder players were the only ones on the court, but there were plenty of big names in the audience watching LeBron James in action that night. After all, who would want to miss watching NBA history in the making?
Apart from his loving family, King James drew quite a crowd. From A-List Hollywood superstars to musical sensations to other iconic sporting figures. Denzel Washington, Bad Bunny, Shannon Sharpe, Floyd Mayweather, Usher, Jay-Z, and John McEnroe were just a few of the celebrities in attendance.
However, perhaps the most important name in the Crypto.com arena was Kareem Adbul-Jabbar, the very man whose record LBJ broke. Following the game, in the midst of all the emotions, the Captain honored the King, by passing him the ball. An iconic moment that was almost like the passing of the torch.
It truly was an iconic moment and one that will live long in every basketball fan’s memory. But, who knows? Perhaps 20 years from now we will celebrate another NBA superstar. And, that time it will be King James passing him the ball.