In his increasingly realistic quest to claim the NBA’s all-time scoring title, LeBron James entered Saturday’s nationally televised game needing 18 points to eclipse Kobe Bryant for third on that list.
Bryant scored 33,643 points in 1,346 games and 48,637 minutes over 20 seasons. It took him 26,200 field-goal attempts.
With a layup in the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers, James surpassed his fellow Los Angeles Lakers superstar in 105 fewer games, almost 1,000 fewer minutes and three fewer seasons, requiring nearly 2,000 fewer field-goal attempts to hit his mark.
He did so while sporting an homage to Bryant on his sneakers.