In his career, our man Shaq set a truckload of records. Some are officially in the record books, some are more opinion-based. Like being – most likely – the most dominant defensive player ever to put on a uniform. One thing O’Neal was not particularly known for was overall scoring numbers.
New-era players, especially the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, have the honor of being compared to Shaq for down-low scoring and defense. Still, Shaq didn’t rack up big numbers of the kind that go on the individual game line scores. Not a problem, just the way his style of play worked.
Now one of the most well-known and history-making scoring records on the NBA books is seeing a challenger. Lakers superstar LeBron James is closing in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record, and that’s on O’Neals mind as the new hoops season gets ready for tip-off.
Starting this season, King James needs only 1,325 points to become the league’s all-time leading scorer. Honestly, it’s not a matter of if he’ll do it – very likely this season – but where and when. Checking the numbers, LeBron scored 1695 points in total last season. In the 2020-2021 season, he was down at 1126, and the year before that, he put in 1698. So even if LeBron has an average season – average by his standards, of course – he should break the record this year.
On a recent episode of the “IMPAULSIVE” podcast, Shaq talked about Abdul-Jabbar’s record, saying that if and when the mark is broken, he’ll be a bit jealous.
Shaq: “LeBron’s about to do something that hasn’t been done in a long time and I think he will put his move up there. To pass up Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, I can truthfully say I’m jealous of that feat.”
O’Neal still believes – as do many other NBA players and fans – that Michael Jordan remains the NBA GOAT. Still, O’Neal is offering plenty of good vibes and praise for LeBron’s upcoming feat.
Over the course of his career on the hardwood, Shaq talked about – and showed in his play – that he felt he was “carrying the torch” of the superstar big men of the past. For him to feel jealous about LeBron James passing the all-time record is not surprising, even though some feel his admitting it out in the open is an interesting move. BTW, Shaq currently stands at #8 in all-time scoring. A nice top-10 rank, for sure.
Keep in mind that LeBron isn’t getting any younger, and there could be health and injury issues this year. But without any long loss of playing time, James could potentially surpass Kareem’s record just past the midway point of the season. He could do so even sooner if he goes on a scoring tear like he did last season, when he averaged 30.3 points.
This season will be LeBron’s 20th NBA campaign. King James he has the chance to establish himself as the true scoring king of basketball. Of course the bigger mission is to return to the playoffs at the end of the season. A big year of scoring from the team’s biggest star will certainly help.