How LeBron James became the best scorer of all-time
The Kid From Akron surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time leading scorer. This is the story of how he did it.
“Not A True Scorer?”
Kareem had the sky hook. Kobe had the fadeaway. Hakeem had the dream-shake. AI had the crossover. Dirk would lean back and knock down shots over anyone.
LeBron hasn’t really got a signature move, perhaps his tomahawk dunk in transition or the meme-able “LeFuckYou Three” is what he’s best known for, but the point is: how can someone who doesn’t really have a signature move, or in fact isn’t even known as a “scorer” – end up with more points than anyone in the history of the game?
Before I break down how his scoring has evolved from when he was a fresh faced rookie out of St Vincent-St Mary high-school in Akron Ohio, to now being a 20 year veteran trying to drag a pitiful LA Lakers team to the playoffs, let’s look at some of the other factors as to why LeBron James has been able to outscore literally everyone.
He’s 38 years old, averaging 30 points per game, and showing no signs of slowing down. So you’re probably wondering: how? Well, let’s break it down.
He might not have a signature scoring move but if there’s one thing King James is known for, it’s being great at everything. You can pick holes in his free throw percentage, but he’s made over 8000 of those in his career. You can say he’s not a great shooter, but you’re still not taking the risk of leaving him open behind the arc. So really, where is the flaw in his game?
There have been a plethora of great scorers throughout the history of the NBA, many who were probably better scorers of the basketball than LeBron, but why aren’t players like Carmelo Anthony or Tracy McGrady at the top of the list when it comes to all-time scoring? Why have their careers not seen the longevity of The Kid From Akron?
I put it to you, that just maybe, the secret to being the best scorer is not actually being the best scorer? Confused, stay with me because it’ll all make sense soon. I’m going to show you how LeBron’s actual scoring has evolved, but first, we need to look at why being great in every aspect of the game will not only provide you with longevity, but in fact, make it easier for you to score.
A “Pass First” Player
LeBron describes himself as a pass-first player, however in my opinion – he’s not a pass first player. He’s a player who simply makes the right play, almost each and every time.
He’s 4th on the all-time assists leader board. Even in his 20th season, he’s 12th in the NBA in assists with 7 a night, and he does it without being a player who hunts for assists, or dribbled the air out of the ball waiting to make a play for himself. I promise I’m not trying to throw shade at Trae Young, Luka Doncic or James Harden, but this is simply the truth. LeBron does it naturally and allows the game to flow organically.
Due to the fact that he’s an elite passer, you can’t help too much off his teammates. You simply cannot double team him. If a smaller player comes over for the double-team, he can see over them, if a bigger player doubles he can thread needle with a bounce pass directed with pin-point accuracy. If he still has a live dribble, he can split the defence. Whichever way you try to defend him, he’s going to make a play.
Now I wish I wish I could show you some examples of LeBron making plays out of double-teams, but opponents have learnt to simply avoid double-teaming the king.
In the 2018 series against the Indiana Pacers when he was in his prime (has his prime ever ended? That’s a whole different conversation), he was doubled on less than 4 percent of the 449 plays in which he has been involved on offense through 5 games. In Game 5, the Pacers brought only one double-team and that was in the first quarter. LeBron averaged 34.4 points per game for the series, and still got almost 8 assists a night.
If you look at this season, you’d think that given the Lakers’ poor perimeter shooting compared to those Cavs teams, opponents would throw doubles at LeBron to stop him putting up his 30 points per night. However, he’s still being double-teamed on a lower percentage of possessions than guys like Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.
Team’s figured out not to double team him very early on in his career. Even back in in the 2007 Conference Finals where LeBron had 48-points in Game 5 (on 33 shots attacking mostly single coverage) - the Detroit Pistons elected to double team him in Game 6 to force the ball out of his hands, meaning he got only 11 shots. That’s good, right? Nope. The King still scored 20 by staying aggressive and getting to the free-throw line, but it was his playmaking that allowed Daniel Gibson (I know you’re probably thinking “who on earth is he?”) caught fire from deep and scored 31 points as the Cavs won the series.
If you can’t double team LeBron, and leave him 1-on-1 with a defender, he’s going to score. If you do double team him, you run the risk of his teammates beating you.
NBA teams simply have to pick their poison and try to live with it.
“Defence Wins Championships”
On the defensive side of the ball, LeBron James was elite when he was at his peak. He could guard all 5 positions, leading him to be a 6x all-NBA defensive player, and he finished in the top five for voting of the Defensive Player of the Year award voting five times, and many (including LeBron himself) believe he was robbed of the award in 2013.
Being a great on ball defender allowed LeBron to force opposing ball handlers to turn the ball over, as he would get steals and get out in transition to show off his flabbergasting dunking ability. You knew the second he gets a steal, the result will be a fast-break dunk that is shown on highlights reels for eternity. His off ball defence and sense for being in the passing lanes at the right time to steal the ball yielded the same result.
Even if LeBron’s great defence didn’t lead to transition buckets, forcing the opponents to miss or turn the ball over still leads to easier scoring. The other team doesn’t have time to get their defence set, as they would if you were taking the ball out of the basket and inbounding it when they make a shot, which means LeBron can play the game at a high pace and attack cross-matches as the defence isn’t set up. For those of you unaware, a cross-match is when you end up in situations where a smaller player is guarding a big, or vice versa, because they didn’t have time to get into their correct match-up. Picture a flustered team missing a shot then hurrying back to their half of the court, not having time to prevent a weak defender having to guard LeBron.
An example of this would be playing against the Memphis Grizzlies. If you force a turn over or a missed shot and push the ball up to the other end of the court, Memphis runs the risk of having Ja Morant trying to guard LeBron who would inevitably bulldoze his way to the bucket, or Steven Adams trying to guard LeBron who would utilise Adam’s lack of foot-speed to attack him from the perimeter.
The exact same principles can be applied to rebounding. Securing rebounds allows LeBron get out in transition and attack, and if one of his teammates misses a shot, he can fly in to put-back the miss with yet another emphatic slam.
So let’s take a look at the evolution of his scoring, in particular the types of shots he takes and why he’s continued to add to his bag. His scoring numbers have always been high, but his dedication to improving his efficiency has been the stand-out in his game for me.
“Getting Buckets”
In his rookie year, the NBA looked very different. Tough big-men roamed the paint, protecting the rim, but the 19 year old ranked 11th in the league in points in the paint; by Year 2, he ranked third. In his third year, he was only 2nd in points in the paint to Shaquille O’Neal, one of the most dominant big-men of all time.
Using his quickness and strength to blow past guards and attack the basket, James was dominating whilst carrying his team, but this alone wasn’t enough. When he took the Cavs to the 2007 finals, he faced the San Antonio Spurs who decided to go under on screens and force James to shoot long range shots. Greg Popovich was happy letting LeBron shoot jump shots. James made only 20% of his threes in his first Finals appearance as his Cavs were quickly swept 4-0, leaving LeBron with serious work to do.
After coming so close to the ultimate prize and coming up short, he spent the summer of 2008 in the lab trying to reconstruct his jumper, working with Chris Jent (Cavs assistant and former NBA sharpshooter) for an hour and a half each day. Jent wanted Lebron to develop what he described as a “calmer” shot. This meant better balance. He had to focus on keeping his elbow locked in at his side so that the ball would shoot straight and not veer to the left of the right. For a player with a heavy muscular body like LeBron which causes considerable momentum shifts when on the move, not having your elbow locked in can cause inconsistency in jump shots.
Years of relentless work on his jumper paid off, as six years later, in a rematch with San Antonio in the finals, James knocked down 35.4% of his attempts from behind the three-point arc and the Heat were crowned NBA champions. The work on his shot was a success not just from 3 but from the mid-range too. In Game 7, The King hit an 18-foot pull up jumper, with 28 seconds remaining that put the game away and seal Miami’s victory.
That 2007 finals loss against the Spurs wasn’t the only time LeBron would have to hold an L on the biggest stage in basketball in order to learn from it and improve. In the 2011 finals, LeBron suffered the lowest point of his career as the Heat lost to Dirk Nowitzki’s Mavericks. James struggled through the worst postseason performance of his career — just 17.8 points per game (very low by his lofty standards) whilst turning the ball over 4 times a night.
An underdog Mavs side kept him out of transition, and kept 3 guys in the paint, disrupting the flow of his offence. Despite a 6'9", 250-pound frame, James didn’t have a reliable low-post game. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle Recognised that, and the Mavericks used smaller guards like J J.J. Barea, Jason Terry and Jason Kidd to defend him. The result: Dallas celebrating a championship whilst LeBron, who was fresh off a controversial move from Cleveland to Miami, suffered embarrassment in front of the world.
It’s not about how many times you get knocked down, it’s about how you get up.
After the Finals loss to Dallas, there was only one person he could call. Perhaps the greatest post-up player of all time: Hakeem Olajuwon. He would do 2 workouts a day with The Dream, focusing on how to leverage his body, the correct footwork to use, his rhythm, as well as studying and emulating other greats like Michael Jordan and his post fade-away.
With a new wealth of knowledge, a more mature, comfortable, and locked-in LeBron shot a career-high 75.8% within 3 feet of the hoop, and 48.4% between 3 feet and 10 feet the following season.
It paid dividends in the finals against a quick, athletic Oklahoma City Thunder team who were also cautious of his drives to the rim. Eric Spoelstra’s Heat ran their offence through LeBron on the post who controlled the tempo and flow of the games . The result, 29 points and 7 assists per game, and the first elusive NBA championship for LeBron.
When he returned to Cleveland, in 2014, he didn’t fall in love with the the 3 points revolution that was sweeping the league as the time perpetuated by the likes of James Harden and Stephen Curry. Instead, he continued to dominate interior. He posted some of the best scoring numbers in the paint since a prime Shaq did in 2000. However, as he’s aged, he’s become more reliant on his jumpshot which has noticeably improved, and even led to the birth of the trademark LeFuckYou three.
Out of the 38,390 points he’s scored through his career so far: 6,711 have been from behind the arc, and 8,047 have been from the free-throw line. Not bad for a player that some call a bad shooter.
He’s scored 4,192 of his points from dunks, and the part that stands out most as a testament to his strength: he’s scored and-ones more times (1416) than he’s been blocked (1045).
“Defying Father Time”
The only question left to answer is how exactly LeBron is able constantly evolve and improve and why other players can’t. Why he hasn’t had a major injury in his career? Why can he go to the NBA Finals 8 times in a row, leading to a less time off during the summer than any other player in the league, and still come back and dominate the following year?
It’s a well-known fact that LeBron reportedly spends 1.5 million dollars a year on maintaining his body, and is obsessed with every detail of not just his physical performance, but his recovery as well.
LeBron prioritises sleep, getting over 12 hours per day. He does yoga and meditates. He lifts weights obsessively and has a cardiovascular system that would make him good enough to play in any sports league in the world. He has a whole army of chefs, therapists, trainers and more on hand to cater to his every need, but LeBron takes it to an even deeper level. He’s worked with biomechanics scientists to change how he runs and lands to protect his back and knees as he’s aged. In fact, it’s reported that some of LeBron’s money goes towards research in biomechanics since it studies the effects of how mechanical laws relate to physical fitness and the body’s recovery. Therefore when he hurt his back in 2015, LeBron was able to recover far quicker than most other players could. He also focuses on things such as optimal blood circulation around his body, something I’ve never even considered until I started researching his lifestyle. He was one of the first athletes to install a cryotherapy chamber in his house. As the league around him gets younger, quicker and stronger, the King needs to find a way to retain his crown each year.
“Striving For Greatness”
So now that LeBron James has taken his place as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, what now? Is he truly the greatest of all time? I’ll leave you guys to debate that in barber shops around the world. Is he, by default, the greatest scorer of all time? Well counting stats don’t paint the entire picture. What if Kareem had come to the NBA straight from high-school like LeBron did, rather than spending 3 years in college? What if Michael Jordan hadn’t retired twice during his prime? We’ll never know the answers to these questions, but the only thing we do know is that we are all witnesses to a truly special human being, doing truly special things. Congratulations to LeBron James. He broke the record without even trying. Long live the King.