LeBron James has added another feather in his cap in terms of the ongoing debate between himself and Michael Jordan.
Entering Wednesday's game against the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers All-Star needed to score just 13 points to pass Jordan for fourth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
James accomplished the feat with a left-handed layup in the second quarter of the team's 115-99 loss to Denver, officially moving past MJ on the all-time list.
The moment @KingJames passed MJ on the All-Time Scoring List! 👑 pic.twitter.com/74wplNvUX2
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 7, 2019
Jordan now sits in fifth place with 32,292 points to his credit, while LeBron moves into fourth. Former Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leads the pack with 38,387 points, with Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant rounding out the top three.
James has also dished out his fair share of assists during his 16 NBA seasons. The Lakers star entered Wednesday night with 8,577 assists, which puts him in 10th place on the all-time list, while Jordan had just 5,633 assists to his credit over the course of his 15 years in the league.
The Chicago Bulls legend averaged 30.1 points while shooting 49.7 percent from the field for his career as he spent time with Chicago and the Washington Wizards. Here's a closer look at the career numbers for the two all-time greats.
*Stats before Wednesday night's game
| Career stats | Michael Jordan | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
Total points | 32,280 (5th all-time) | 32,292 (4th) |
Assists | 5,633 (44th) | 8,577 (10th) |
Points per game | 30.12 (1st) | 27.15 (5th) |
| Field goals | 12,192 (4th) | 11,735 (5th) |
| Steals | 2,514 (3rd) | 1,929 (16th) |
The biggest difference in the careers of James and Jordan have been the NBA titles. Jordan secured six championships -- in six NBA Finals appearances -- during his time with the Bulls while James has just three -- two coming with the Miami Heat and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Of course, James still likely has multiple seasons ahead of him to try and add to his total, but increasing that number doesn't look promising this season with the Lakers currently outside of the playoff picture in the Western Conference.
James is more than likely going to pass Jordan during Wednesday's game since he only needs 13 points to do so and is averaging more than double that amount. The Lakers superstar has scored at least 24 points in each of Los Angeles' past seven games despite the team only winning two of those contests.
