Lakers’ LeBron James launches a fade-away jumper to score his 38,388th career point and break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA all-time scoring record in the third quarter of a 133-130 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Lakers’ LeBron James became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, tallying 38 points to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s mark in a 133-130 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

LeBron James poses for photos with his family on the court after becoming the NBA’s all-time scoring leader Tuesday night.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

His friends were ready to party. He was ready to eat.

Yet when you break the NBA’s all-time scoring record, like LeBron James did Tuesday night, you have to spend some time talking about it.

James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the NBA’s all-time scoring leaderboard with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter. Following Tuesday’s game, he has 38,390 career points — more than anyone to play in the league.

Here’s some of what James had to say about his record-setting night and career:

On understanding the significance of the moment:

“ I don’t think it has hit. I had a moment obviously when it happened, and embracing that moment and seeing my family and my friends and people that’s been around me since I started this journey, even before the NBA. So definitely a great moment right there, very emotional just being a kid from a small town in Ohio. I had a moment there, but I don’t think it’s really hit me on what just transpired. As much as I tried to live in the moment, it was kind of a blur. But looking back there and seeing my guys back there and out there on the floor with my kids, my wife and my mom, you know, it’s just a surreal feeling.”

On the shot to break the record:

“To break the record, I was able to get to a really good spot on the floor where I’m really comfortable with and get to one of my patented fadeaway shots. I know a lot of people wanted me to go to the skyhook to break the record or one of my signature dunks, but my fadeaway is a signature play as well. And I was able to get it and it touched nothing but the bottom of the net, and that was pretty cool.”

To have Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in attendance:

“I just think it’s great for the game of basketball. When you talk about the years and years and years, I’m just a historian of the game so I know what guys like Kareem and Wilt and MJ and Magic and Bird and Oscar Robertson and Elgin Baylor, West. I could be up here all night talking about some of the greats and legends. For me, personally, it’s just an honor to be named with the greats, to be in the conversation with the greats who have played this game before me and some of the greats that is playing right now and there’s going to be some greats that play when I’m done playing the game. So, it’s a surreal feeling.”

LeBron James, center, with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, left and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Are you the GOAT?

“I don’t know, man. For me I think it’s great barbershop talk. It’s gonna happen forever and ever. If I was the GM or whatever the case may be of a franchise I was starting up and I had the No. 1 pick, I would take me. But that’s just me because I believe in myself, what I bring to the table, a guy that’s been able to transform his game over the course of 20 years, be able to play any position in this league, excel at any position. I can play 1 through 5. I’ve led the league in assists. I’ve been able to do whatever it is this game has wanted me to do and also transform my game as well.”

What’s the moment from tonight that you’ll always take with you?

“I write ‘the man in the arena’ on my shoe every single night, [a quote] from Theodore Roosevelt. Tonight, I actually felt like I was sitting on top of the arena tonight when that shot went in, and the roar from the crowd. I’m not sure if I would be able to feel that feeling again, unless it’s a game-winning Finals shot. But it won’t be a stop in play. Everything just stopped. It gave me an opportunity to embrace it and look around and seeing my family and seeing the fans and seeing my friends. It was pretty cool. I don’t really get to, I probably can count on my hands how many times I have cried in 20 years, either in happiness or in defeat. So that moment was one of them when I kinda teared up a little bit. It was a ‘I can’t believe what’s going on’ tears.”

Did you want to break the record tonight?

“Yeah, because my boys leave on a red-eye tomorrow night, so. Yeah. So, I just had the mind-set. I had to have the mind-set. I dressed for the occasion. like you said. I put on the headband because that’s where the journey started. I would’ve had to pay for another room in the hotel for another night for my boys. If I didn’t do it tonight they would’ve stayed till Thursday to watch this. So I’m very smart. No, but, tomorrow is not promised. And if I had an opportunity to do it tonight, and I was gonna try to make it happen. And I was still super efficient. I wasn’t out there just gunnin’. I was still super efficient and was able to get it done.”

On the ‘ride’ of his career:

“This ride has been, uh, it’s been fantastic. You know, we have a place in our hometown — not too far away from our hometown in Sandusky, Ohio, called Cedar Point. And every so many years, they come out with a new roller-coaster and we spent plenty of times just going up and testing out the new roller-coaster. And, many highs, many loops, how fast it is, whatever the case may be. And you get off, and just feeling so much excitement and just feeling you want to do it again. And my career has been like that. It’s been like one of the great rides at Cedar Point in the sense that your stomach drops at times, you’re excited, you’re yelling, sometimes you can’t breathe. But you always want to do it again.”