Throwing in the third 12 minutes of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, LeBron James made early NBA history.

The King broke a seemingly unattainable record and became the tournament’s all-time top scorer with 38,390 points, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387 who moved to second place on the list.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the record for almost 39 years. He did so during a game against the Utah Jazz on April 5, 1984, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain in turn. It was also the only time the scepter of scorers had changed hands since 1966.

The official NBA Twitter account praised James for his feat.

20 seasons.
1410 games.
38,388 points.

One #ScoringKing pic.twitter.com/Z8gxCnBET5

— NBA (@NBA) February 8, 2023

LeBron’s first basket and last…until the next

LeBron James scored his first career field goal on October 29, 2003, when he took a pass from Ricky Davis, led sideways to the baseline and scored against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“Welcome to the NBA,” the American television commentator said at the time of the 18-year-old, who showed his potential early with 25 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals in his debut against the Sacramento Kings.

After today’s playoff shot, family and friends took to the court to congratulate him, and the crowd cheered from the stands for “Most Valuable Player.”

Given LeBron’s performance, many are betting that he will be the first player to score 39,000 points in the NBA this season. And if he plays professionally for at least one more year, he will become the first and only basketball player with 40,000 points.

List of top 10 scorers of all time:

1. LeBron James – 38,390 points*
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 38,387 points
3. Karl Malone – 36,928 points
4. Kobe Bryant – 33,643 points
5. Michael Jordan – 32,292 points
6. Dirk Nowitzki – 31,560 points
7. Wilt Chamberlain – 31,419 points
8. Shaquille O’Neal – 28,596 points
9. Carmelo Anthony – 28,289 points*
10. Moses Malone – 27,409 points

Source NBA and APE-MPE