Lebron James just broke the NBA’s all time scoring record. On February 7th, while playing for the Lakers, James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA record, taking a minute to celebrate his personal victory while on the court. James was accompanied by his wife, Savannah James, and their children, Bronny, Bryce, and Zhuri.
© GettyImagesWhile the Lakers lost the game, the game stopped to celebrate James’ historic moment. ESPN shares that the game was paused for 10 minutes after James scored the record breaking point, with the cameras following him as he hugged his family and participated in a brief ceremony with NBA comissioner Adam Silver and Abdul-Jabbar himself.
“I write 'The Man In The Arena' on my shoe every single night from Theodore Roosevelt,” said James afterward. "Tonight, I actually felt like I was sitting on top of the arena when that shot went in, and the roar from the crowd. I'm not sure if I would be able to feel that feeling again, unless it's a game-winning Finals shot. Everything just stopped. It gave me an opportunity to embrace it and look around and seeing my family, the fans, my friends. It was pretty cool. I probably can count on my hands how many times I have cried in 20 years, either in happiness or in defeat. So that moment was one of them when I kind of teared up a little bit. It was 'I can't believe what's going on' tears."
James took photographs alongside Silver and Abdul-Jabbar.
© GettyImagesJames took a minute to thank the fans and his family. “I thank you guys so much for allowing me to be a part of something I've always dreamed about," he said.
The Lakers team expected this moment for James, bringing in over 200 media members and flying in some of James’ oldest family and friends from Akron, Ohio. Audience members included Jay-Z, Bad Bunny, Usher, Andy Garcia, and more. James did not disappoint, scoring and getting audience members excited to be witnessing such a historic occasion.
