King James Gospel
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WITNESSing Greatness: LeBron Passes Bryant, West and Daugherty

By Omar Josef Guerrero

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Another week, another milestone. LeBron James once again added another accomplishment to his already glowing NBA resume by passing Jerry West for the 19th spot on the all-time scoring ladder.

The historic shot was a three-pointer from the corner with 3:08 left in the first quarter of the Cleveland Cavaliers versus Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night. Though the Cavs lost that game 104-99 despite leading by double digits in the second half, James leapt past another NBA legend.

This was James’ humble response to the milestone career achievement:

"“Obviously, every single day, that’s what we all represent. We all represent The Logo [Jerry West]. You know, everyone — media, myself, my teammates, organization, fans — we all represent The Logo.To be able to pass a legend like himself, it’s an honor, an honor for sure. I know how much he did for the game, what he meant to the game. You know, I had an opportunity to read his book. I had an opportunity to actually talk to him a few times. … It’s pretty cool.”"

To be able to pass a legend like himself, it’s an honor, an honor for sure. I know how much he did for the game, what he meant to the game. – LeBron James

Heading into the game, James needed 10 points to pass the LA Lakers legend and he finished the game with 25,213 career points in 922 games during his 13th season to West’s 25,192 in 932 games over 14 seasons.

Next up on the list is Reggie Miller who has 25,279 points and ranks 18th on the list.

Nov 17, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) before the game against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Here’s how the top 20 all-time scoring list currently looks like courtesy of Basketball-Reference:

  1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar* 38387
  2. Karl Malone* 36928
  3. Kobe Bryant 32617
  4. Michael Jordan* 32292
  5. Wilt Chamberlain* 31419
  6. Shaquille O’Neal 28596
  7. Dirk Nowitzki 28323
  8. Moses Malone* 27409
  9. Elvin Hayes* 27313
  10. Hakeem Olajuwon* 26946
  11. Oscar Robertson* 26710
  12. Dominique Wilkins* 26668
  13. John Havlicek* 26395
  14. Tim Duncan 26099
  15. Kevin Garnett 25977
  16. Paul Pierce 25955
  17. Alex English* 25613
  18. Reggie Miller* 25279
  19. LeBron James 25213
  20. Jerry West* 25192

*Hall of Famer

After 11 games so far this season, LeBron is currently averaging 27.3 points per game.

According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, if he continues to keep this scoring pace up over an entire 82 games, he could leapfrog over nine other players en route to 10th place in the all-time scoring list, the last of which would be Hakeem Olajuwon at 26,946.

Other milestones this season:

Nov. 2, 2015

  • Recorded 25,000th point versus the Philadelphia 76ers
  • Passed Kobe Bryant for youngest ever to reach the 25K point mark.
  • Joined Oscar Robertson, John Havlicek, and Kobe Bryant as the only players to reach the 25,000-point/6,000-rebound/6,000-assist club
  • Passed Zydrunas Ilgauskas for second place on the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise all-time defensive rebounding list with 3,569 rebounds (Brad Daugherty holds the franchise record with 4,020)

Nov. 8, 2015

  • Passed Jerry West (9,016) for 19th place all-time in field goals made versus Indiana. James finished the game with 9,019 field goals made for his career at the time as the Cavs beat the Pacers 101-97.

Upcoming milestones:

  • If LeBron continues to average 27.3 points in the next three games, he will supplant Reggie Miller (25,279 points) for 18th place in the all-time scoring list.
  • Should LeBron accumulate 19 assists in the next three games (he’s averaging 6.1 per game), he will surpass Norm Nixon for 25th place in the all-time assists department.

Welcome to WITNESSing Greatness! This special blog is going to be my weekly watch on LeBron James and the milestones that he achieves this year.

While looking at the all-time statistics before last season ended, I took note of how James was about to jump over some NBA legends in the 2015-16 season. If you’ve been following the Cavs since the beginning of the season, you probably noticed that LeBron had been mentioned more than a few times for certain career achievements.

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Those were only the beginning steps of a career-long trek for LeBron toward the top of the list of all-time records. Before this season ends, barring any major injury that could sideline him for any significant stretch, James will be at or near the top 20 in points, assists, field goals, and steals.

Just in case I miss out on a milestone event, send me a heads up in the comments section below.

Exciting times are ahead for LeBron so make sure to watch out for WITNESSing Greatness every Monday (or Tuesday if I get delayed). Today, however, is an exception as I launch the series.

Hope you can join me as I chronicle the achievements this season of the best basketball player in the world!