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LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers talks to his teammate during the first quarter of the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on March 5, 2026 in Denver, Colorado.
Veteran Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James called out his critics after passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most field goals in NBA history during his team’s 120-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
The 41-year-old wrote the following on his Instagram stories:
“And they said he wasn’t a scorer🤷♂️”
James was referencing widespread claims that he’s not as skilled a scorer as Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant, considering he entered the league as a pass-first player who modeled his game after Magic Johnson.
Early in his career, James was accused of playing “bully ball” by using his 260-pound frame to attack the rim and for not possessing a deep repertoire of offensive moves. To his credit, over the years, James overcame his limitations as a scorer, particularly with his post-up moves, mid-range fadeaway jumper and stepback three-pointer.
LeBron James: NBA’s Scoring Leader
As such, it was rather fitting that James surpassed Abdul-Jabbar’s record with a midrange fadeaway jumper on Thursday. After the game, he revealed he was forced to add moves to his bag after he and the Miami Heat faltered against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals, when many believed James was exposed as a limited scorer.
“I mean, it’s one of my patented shots,” James said, via Spectrum SportsNet.
“It’s something I worked on throughout my career. So, to be able to have that ability to make that shot, it’s pretty cool.
“Losing in the Finals to Dallas and playing like [expletive],” James added. “…Everything in the post. Going to see Hakeem [Olajuwon]. Put in that work and then throughout that whole season… Continued to dial in on that throughout the rest of my career.”
LeBron James ‘Humble’ About Record
James, the NBA all-time scoring leader in the regular season and playoffs, explained why he was humbled about being mentioned alongside the greatest-ever scorers.
“My name being mentioned with some of the greatest to ever play this game has always been humbling and pretty cool,” James said, via NBA.com.
“It’s a pretty cool thing. I grew up watching and reading, idolizing a lot of the greats. And if I ever was able to be a part of the NBA, I wanted to be in position where I could be named with some of the greats by doing something right.”
James has scored 43,127 points in the regular season, establishing a nearly 5,000-point lead over second-place Abdul-Jabbar and a 7,000-point lead over Karl Malone. He also has 8,289 points in the playoffs, holding a 2,302-point lead over Michael Jordan.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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