“The league is his” - Paul George gushes over LeBron James as the Los Angeles Lakers star approaches the NBA’s scoring record
Paul George, LeBron James
© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
One of the major storylines in the NBA this season is LeBron James' pursuit of the scoring record. Of course, it's not only fans who have been tracking his progress; other NBA players have been watching, too—including Paul George.
After the stars' duel on Tuesday, James inched closer to the top of the list, and PG couldn't help but be in awe of the 38-year-old.
178 points to go
The battle between the Los Angeles teams saw LeBron score 46 points to rewrite history books once again, this time of his own. His nine 3-pointers were a career-high, and his total points mean that he has put up at least 40 points against every franchise in the Association.
In the bigger picture, James has now amassed 38,210 points, 178 short of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's career total. At the rate he is racking up the score in recent games, he likely needs less than seven games to nab the No. 1 spot on the all-time leaders' list.
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Rumor has it that the four-time MVP is aiming to break the record before the midseason break so that the league can honor the accomplishment during the All-Star Weekend. Barring any injuries or load management DNPs, he can certainly achieve that goal.
Owning the league
As George said, James still owns the league, despite being 38 years old and playing in his 20th year. He may not be the best player anymore, but the future Hall of Famer is still looked up to by a lot of his peers.
It's great that the Clippers star highly reveres the four-time champion even though they have had a competitive rivalry over the past decade.
Their battles began when James was still with the Miami Heat, and George repped the Indiana Pacers. Now, they are playing for crosstown rivals, which means their bouts hold much more significance.
On Tuesday, the Clips got the victory, with George recording a team-high 27 points. They now own a 3-0 lead in their regular season series versus the Lakers, with the last matchup taking place in early April.
By then, James will already be the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
