LeBron James passes Kobe Bryant for 3rd on NBA scoring list

LeBron James moved past Kobe Bryant for third place on NBA's career scoring list, getting milestone on a driving layup against Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.  Los Angeles Lakers star scored basket with 7:23 left in third quarter and he waved to a Sixers crowd that gave him a rousing standing ovation when mark was anunced by public address anuncer. basket gave him 33,644 points.

James entered 18 points shy of passing Bryant on list and couldn't quite get re in first half. He scored six points in first quarter but had four turvers that included an errant pass into seats. He opened second quarter with a layup, and n went to free throw line for his next four points, giving him 12. He finished first half 3 for 7 from floor, missed all three 3s, had five turvers and three fouls for 14 points.  35-year-old James entered averaging at least 25 points (25.2 ppg) for 16th straight season and has played 44 games this season. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is NBA's career scoring leader with 38,387 points and Karl Malone is second at 36,928. James is on pace to pass Abdul-Jabbar in about three seasons.

James passed Bryant in Philadelphia, where five-time champion was born. Bryant, who played his entire career with Lakers, finished with 33,643 points. With a d to Bryant's nickname, James scribbled "Mamba 4 Life" on his Nikes against 76ers. James, who played in eight consecutive NBA Finals, has 6,911 postseason points with Cleveland and Miami that do t count in official total. Five of top six scorers in NBA history played for Lakers, who signed James as a free nt in 2018.

"Just as a fan, you step back and just watch his body of work, matter where he goes it's off chart unique. He does it with class," 76ers coach Brett Brown said before game. “Amongst all his success and attention he receives on a daily basis, he doesn't seem to blink. He's got character, he lives right, he acts right, he's arguably greatest player to ever play our sport.”