PHOENIX -- Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James passed Alex English for 17th on the NBA's all-time leading scoring list Monday against the Phoenix Suns.
James came into the night needing five points to pass English's career total of 25,613 points and passed the former Denver Nuggets star with a free throw as part of an and-one layup with 3:14 remaining in the first quarter.
"Just an extremely efficient and fundamental and smooth player whose competitiveness, I think, was underestimated because he did everything sort of in a silent and in a classy way with not a whole lot of fanfare and a whole lot of noise," Cavs coach David Blatt said of English, one of the lesser-known players in the league's all-time top 25 scoring list.