Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s scoring record was thought to be untouchable. After all, the Lakers legend scored 38,387 points across his long, 20-year career in the NBA. And then along came LeBron James, stealing a piece of the big man’s history, as he scored his 38,388th point against the OKC Thunder during the 2022-23 NBA season. However, as he was rising up for the shot that achieved the record, Thomas Bryant ended up causing a little meme moment. And it’s an intriguing he willingly dived into after the fact.
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During the game in question, James clearly knew what he was doing. It was easy to tell that the man knew the record was in sight. And sure enough, during the third quarter, he was looking to score in just about every possession. Yet, it seems that Bryant never got the memo. Take a look at what he was doing during this moment in history, in Craig’s tweet below.
Thomas Bryant patiently waiting for an entry pass as Lebron James pulls up to break the ALL TIME SCORING RECORD. 😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/wfLa8Nofa8 pic.twitter.com/HylJBUb9lG
— Craig (@_itsalwayscraig) June 10, 2023
Bryant recently spoke up on the incident and what was on his mind during his appearance on the ‘Buckets’ podcast.
Thomas Bryant only cared about the mismatch he had as LeBron James rose up for his shot
Thomas Bryant is a 6ft 10” center. If someone of his size receives a mismatch under the rim, the dogma states that he must receive the ball. However, when there is a chance at history on the table, exceptions are made by everyone present. That is, everyone, except Thomas Bryant, apparently.
The center was so absorbed in the game that he failed to keep track of how far James was from the record. So, when the moment came, he became a bit of a meme during one of his teammate’s finest-ever moments. Take a look at the YouTube video by ‘Buckets’ from the 21:21 minute mark to see what he had to say on the matter.
“You know, so it was funny. Every time we run a play like that, (LeBron James) always told me, ‘If you have a mismatch down there, call for the damn ball! Get yo a** in the post!’
At that time, I’m thinking like, ‘Mismatch, alright, let me get in the post right here’. And he shoots. And I’m not realizing this like, ‘oh shoot! Oh, wait, this might be the shot!’ Because I’m losing count in my head. I’m like, I’m trying to get the lead back and everything.”
“He shoots, and I’m like, ‘I swear to god if he misses, it’s going to go right back out there!’. And then he shoots, and I’m like, ‘alright, thank god he made it!’.”
It’s hard to blame Thomas Bryant for his initial thinking. However, it’s also unlikely LeBron James regrets taking that shot in the first place. And after he made it, he immediately thanked his wife, Savannah James, for allowing him to be all that he is today.
Savannah James deserves credit for LeBron breaking the all-time record
As you might expect, breaking the record was an emotional moment for James, and the NBA as a whole. He had been chasing this record for a long time. Not to mention, before he set his eyes on it, the record was considered unbreakable. So, when he finally broke it, the NBA community (except the Jordan fans impossible to make happy) came together to celebrate LeBron James.
However, at that moment, ‘the kid from Akron’ quickly shifted the attention to his wife, Savannah James, explaining why she deserves all of the credit for his greatness. A family man, even when most might forget to be so.
