Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 'excited' to see LeBron James break his all-time scoring record

Records are meant to be broken and the NBA's all-time scoring mark is within reach for Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.

Heading into his 19th season, LeBron, who is currently third all-time, has won nearly everything in his career, from four championships, four MVP awards, 17 All-Star selections and countless other accolades, but soon he could lay claim to one of the league's most untouchable records.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who retired in 1989, played 20 seasons (14 with the Lakers) and has long held the record with 38,387 career points, while LeBron is currently at 35,367 and could pass the mark as soon as the 2022-23 season, something Abdul-Jabbar said he is "excited to see it happen," in a recent interview with Marc Stein

"I'm excited to see it happen. I don't see records as personal accomplishments, but more as human achievements. If one person can do something that's never been done, that means we all have a shot at doing it," Abdul-Jabbar said.

"It's a source of hope and inspiration. Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile back in 1954. Since then, not only have 1,400 runners beaten that time, but the new record is 17 seconds less. We all win when a record is broken and if LeBron breaks mine, I will be right there to cheer him on."

LeBron is 3,020 points behind Abdul-Jabbar's all-time record, meaning he would have to average 18.4 points per game across the next two regular seasons to reach that mark.

Only two current players are in the top 10 all-time, with LeBron's Laker teammate Carmelo Anthony currently 10th.

NBA all-time scoring list

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