Full recap and results of LeBron James passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA scoring record

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This story was originally published in February 2022 as part of The Athletic's NBA 75, a countdown of the top players in league history.

LeBron Raymone James is not only a living NBA legend. He is still playing. He’s still dominating.

James collects milestones by the week, as he barrels toward the highest individual achievement in pro basketball — becoming the all-time leading scorer.

LeBron is, according to The Athletic’s voting panel of NBA experts last year, the second-greatest player ever. Which makes him, arguably, the greatest ever. All time. Through 75 history-rich seasons. From Akron, Ohio, to the top of the world.

For years, as James stockpiled NBA Most Valuable Player trophies in Cleveland and Miami, and championships in Miami, Cleveland and Los Angeles, we’ve watched him score like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, pass like Magic and captivate like Jordan. We’ve known how good LeBron is.

We’ve known since before the Cavs drafted him No. 1 in 2003 that he was special. While he continues to make memories on the Lakers, every other member of The Athletic’s all-time list inside the top 12 is retired.

For years, the debate has been Michael or LeBron? LeBron loses that one more than he wins, but he still has the chance to change more minds. Either way, he has been so great, for so long, LeBron has elevated himself to the most rarefied air in NBA history, and we know he’s been there for quite some time.

Maybe the only question is, does LeBron know?

“No, I don’t,” James said with a pause, as he walked through the loading docks at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center.

“One thing that I do know is that I am gifted, and I put in the work to be as great as I can be on the floor,” he said. “And I understand that through time and commitment and dedication that I put myself in position to be mentioned with some of the greats that ever played basketball, period. Not just in the NBA, but period.”