Much will be made of Lebron taking over the NBA's all-time scoring record from Kareem, but as a fan of the Big Fella, I'd like to make mention of a few things:

1) Kareem had to play 4 years in college that Lebron did not. Kareem lasted to age 42 before he simply couldn't keep his double digits in points streak intact, and once broken, he missed the mark repeatedly down the stretch and into that rocker.

Now, Lebron at 38 is kicking 38 year old Kareem's butt, but I do wonder what Kareem's mark might have been at 38 had his baskets from 18-22 been scored in the nba. Who knows, maybe he'd be ahead still or he never would have developed without the Wooden years.

But, because of this factor, I still have Kareem ahead, as #s will prove, next.

2) Kareem still dominates in FG made!
Lebron has the advantage of getting a 50% boost for each of his 3's, and while that's a skill Kareem was NEVER going to have, if the game is about putting the ball through the hoop, Kareem still reigns supreme.

When/if Lebron passes Kareem in FG's, I'll give it to him.


Thoughts spurred by this bit of side reading:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/kareems-run-atop-nba-point-145926875.html


All-time nba+aba points leaderboard:
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar* 38387
2. LeBron James 38299
3. Karl Malone* 36928
4. Kobe Bryant* 33643
5. Michael Jordan* 32292
6. Dirk Nowitzki 31560
7. Wilt Chamberlain* 31419
8. Julius Erving* 30026
9. Moses Malone* 29580
10. Shaquille O'Neal* 28596
11. Carmelo Anthony 28289
12. Dan Issel* 27482
13. Elvin Hayes* 27313
14. Hakeem Olajuwon* 26946
15. Oscar Robertson* 26710
16. Kevin Durant 26684

https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/pts_career.html

All time nba+aba FG made:

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar* 15837
2. LeBron James 14019
3. Karl Malone* 13528
4. Wilt Chamberlain* 12681
5. Michael Jordan* 12192
6. Julius Erving* 11818
7. Kobe Bryant* 11719
8. Shaquille O'Neal* 11330
9. Dirk Nowitzki 11169
10. Elvin Hayes* 10976
11. Hakeem Olajuwon* 10749

https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/fg_career.html

All time nba+aba FT made:

1. Karl Malone* 9787
2. Moses Malone* 9018
3. Kobe Bryant* 8378
4. LeBron James 8031
5. Oscar Robertson* 7694
6. Michael Jordan* 7327
7. Dirk Nowitzki 7240
8. James Harden 7223
9. Jerry West* 7160
10. Paul Pierce* 6918
11. Adrian Dantley* 6832
12. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar* 6712


https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ft_career.html

FG %?

concordtom said:

---

2) Kareem still dominates in FG made!
Lebron has the advantage of getting a 50% boost for each of his 3's, and while that's a skill Kareem was NEVER going to have, if the game is about putting the ball through the hoop, Kareem still reigns supreme.

---

I'm pretty sure the game is about having more points than the other team.

Wilt had 11,000 more on the court than he had on his workbench.

bearister said:

---

Wilt had 11,000 more on the court than he had on his workbench.

---

Nah. He exaggerated big time.

HoopDreams said:

---

FG %?

---

Every metric imaginable here:

https://www.landofbasketball.com/player_comparison/kareem_abdul_jabbar_vs_lebron_james.htm

Peak Kareem wins:

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 34.8 (1972)
LeBron James 31.4 (2006)


Rebounds Per Game
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 16.9 (1976)
LeBron James 8.6 (2018)


Assists Per Game
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 5.4 (1979)
LeBron James 10.2 (2020)


Steals Per Game
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1.7 (1978)
LeBron James 2.2 (2005)


Blocks Per Game
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 4.1 (1976)
LeBron James 1.1 (2009)