Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, who was watching from a distance, expressed his gratitude to another significant NBA player who reached a significant milestone.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers needed just nine points going into Tuesday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets to reach the 40,000 mark in his 21-year career.
At 10:39 of the second quarter, he accomplished the incredible accomplishment when he drove into the paint for a layup. In a 124-114 loss to Denver, James recorded 26 points, nine assists, and four rebounds.
The fact that James achieved this milestone on the 62nd anniversary of NBA Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain’s historic 100-point performance made it all the more heartbreaking.
Leaving His Imprint
Athletes, fans, and celebrities from all across the world praised him, but Durant also expressed how unique James and this record are.
Durant remarked, “Insane, congrats to Lebron [James],” following the Suns’ 118-108 loss to the Houston Rockets last night. “Just continuing to set the bar high for everybody. Been so impressed with his enthusiasm at 39 years old. For him to keep going, that says a lot to every basketball player in the world right now. What he is doing right now is inspiring, so congrats to him. I know he is not going to stop, he’s got more to do. He is going to set the bar high for everybody coming after him. We appreciate him being the face of the league for the last 20 years, he set a good precedent for us.”
Before Lebron passed him last season, fellow Lakers icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the record for most points scored in the NBA with 38,387.
Durant, who is ranked ninth in the NBA, has scored 28,342 points in his career to date.
The Lakers defeated the Suns in a five-game season series (which included the NBA In-Season Tournament) with a score of 3-2.
James doesn’t appear to be planning to retire after this season, so his remarkable streak will continue until he does decide to hang up the bat.