Los Angeles, Feb 09, 2023, IANS

Los Angeles, Feb 9 (IANS) Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James broke NBA's all-time scoring record, held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for nearly 39 years, in the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With the last 14 seasons for the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar, six-time NBA MVP, scored 38,387 points in his 20-year career, reports Xinhua news agency.

James needed 36 points to break the NBA's all-time scoring record. With 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter at Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena, James got the last two points he needed with a fadeaway jumper. NBA officials paused the game for minutes to honor James in a ceremony on the court.

Abdul-Jabbar was in attendance, witnessing James' accomplishment with cheering crowds.

The Lakers lost 133-130 to the Thunder despite James' 38-point performance.

"Congratulations to LeBron on breaking one of the most hallowed records in all of the sports by becoming the NBA's all-time scoring leader," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.

"It's a towering achievement that speaks to his sustained excellence over 20 seasons in the league. And quite amazingly, LeBron continues to play at an elite level and his basketball history is still being written," he added.