The 77th season of the National Basketball Association will begin on Oct. 18, 2022. This season is particularly special for LeBron James, one of the greatest players of all time. James is on pace to break the NBA All-Time Career Scoring record. He is trailing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by 1326 points. In addition, James is also on pace to pass Magic Johnson on the NBA All-Time Career Assist List; he needs only 97 more assists to pass the Los Angeles Laker legend, per an ESPN article. James is on pace to break both this year. Prominent players and sports analysts say that if James can accomplish these two feats in the same season, then he will be considered by many to be the best basketball player of all time. 

LeBron James has been playing professional basketball for 19 years and has accomplished quite a bit in that time. James is a four-time NBA Champion, four-time NBA MVP, and a four-time NBA Finals MVP. He was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, and was one of the most well known basketball players in the country when he was in high school. Considered one of the League’s most well-known “prep-to-pro” players, James went on to be the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. 

There has been a longstanding debate on whether or not LeBron James is a better basketball player than Michael Jordan. Shaquille O’Neal, another well-known basketball player, went on record saying that “if LeBron were to pass Kareem for career scoring, then he is probably better than Jordan.” The essence of James’ legacy has been a long-standing debate for years, and it will most likely be argued for years to come. James commented on the possibility of breaking the above-mentioned records, saying, “I’m in awe of the possibility of [becoming] the league's all-time leading scorer.” He added, “Being on the verge of breaking the most sought after record in the NBA is humbling.” 

The aforementioned record, the All-Time Career Scoring Leader in the NBA, was set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on April 5, 1984. Abdul-Jabbar retired with a total of 38,327 points. This record has not been broken for over 38 years, and until recent years, nobody thought it would. Often regarded as the most coveted and well-known record in all of the NBA, there have only been a few players that came close to breaking it — including Karl Malone, the late Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Dirk Nowitzki — but they ultimately fell short. 

But when will James officially break it? Well, let’s see … James is trailing Abdul-Jabbar by 1326 points. At the minimum, it could take James 49 games. The earliest possible game that the record could be broken is taking place Jan. 28 against the Boston Celtics, assuming that he maintains his career-scoring average of 27.1 points per game. Also, it would be ironic if James breaks the record against the Celtics, given that the relationship between the two is rather shaky. The majority of Celtics’ fans strongly dislike James, and vice versa. James stated in an interview, “Celtics’ fans are racist as f—.” The rivalry between the Lakers and Celtics is also extremely well-known throughout the sports world, with some calling it the greatest rivalry in the NBA. Its intensity has lessened since the retirements of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. However, as long as LeBron is still with the Lakers, it’s clear that this rivalry between Los Angeles and Boston will remain relevant in the world of the NBA. Regardless of these external factors, James has the chance to rewrite basketball history forever.