LeBron James entered the Top 10 in NBA scoring on Saturday. He’s also Top 20 all-time in assists, making him the only player in league history to be ranked in such high esteem in both categories.
And he’s coming for Shaq.
Bleacher Report shared a comic depicting James along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Elvin Hayes, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Dirk Nowitzki, and Moses Malone. In it, Hakeem Olajuwon -- formerly No. 10 on the all-time scoring list -- can be seen crying outside a window while the others have a party.
James re-shared the image with the caption:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMeY65XhdHH/
Shaq better watch out, too. LeBron is still only 31 years old, and his scoring rate has been consistent. Even if you only take his average scoring totals from the last five seasons as a good base for an aging superstar, he could still end up pretty high on that list.
If LeBron plays until he’s 38, as Bryant did, and scores at the same average clip he would end up with more than 40,000 points scored. That’s well into the No. 1 spot.
Or, if he plays until he’s 38 and his scoring decreases by 10 percent each season, James would end up somewhere around Karl Malone, who has 36,928.
LeBron ending up as the overall scoring champion seems unlikely, but he’s definitely gunning for Shaq if all goes well for him for the next two seasons.