Basketball

“LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have one thing in common!”: Skip Bayless Delivers ‘Rare’ Praise for The King as he Becomes NBA’s All-Time Scoring Leader

Advait Jajodia
|PublishedFeb 08, 2023

“LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have one thing in common!”: Skip Bayless Delivers 'Rare' Praise for The King as he Becomes NBA's All-Time Scoring Leader

Feb 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) meets with former player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after breaking the NBA all time scoring record against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

A fadeaway jumper from the free throw line during the Lakers-Thunder clash will go down as one of the most iconic shots in league history.

With LeBron James knocking down his 36^th point of yesterday night’s clash, he recorded the 38,388^th point of his career. This means the King has officially surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

Also Read: LeBron James Gets Heartwarming Response From Sons After Breaking Scoring Record

After breaking the nearly 39-year-old record, Skip Bayless couldn’t help but give LBJ his flowers. On the recent episode of “UNDISPUTED”, the 74-year-old said:

“It shows you how many points LeBron James has actually scored over 20 seasons year after year, game after game after game. It is an all-time longevity/durability record.”

Skip Bayless draws a similarity between LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

As LeBron now overtook Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time points list, Skip compared the two legends.

Bayless lauded the icons for the way they correctly treated their body.

Further lauding the basketball greats, Bayless stated:

“I connect LeBron and Kareem, they have one thing in common – Kareem was actually the first to ever understand fitness and nutrition but in a very different way than LeBron did… he embraced yoga before anybody really knew what yoga was. And he stayed flexible, and he appreciated and respected what he put in his mouth because you are what you eat. He stayed slim. All the way to 42 years of age. He stayed slender. It benefitted him because he avoided injuries.”

LeBron’s stats from the 2022-2023 season

Yes, the Los Angeles Lakers are having a horrific performance so far. Sitting 13th in the West, the Purple & Gold have an awful 25-30.

However, LeBron’s production in Year 20 is one of the only positive takeaways. Playing 36.4 MPG at age 38, the 6-foot-9 forward has been putting up a staggering 30.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 7 assists per game.

Also Read: LeBron James Tells Shaquille O’Neal and Inside the NBA, He is Taking Himself Against Anybody

About the author

Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia, a seasoned NBA journalist, has had a passion for the game for over a decade. His journey from admiring Kobe Bryant's precision to being in awe of Stephen Curry's long-range mastery instilled a profound understanding of basketball. With a background as a two-time National-level player, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood to offer insightful analysis. Over three years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 21-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 3,350+ articles.