LeBron James says he ‘never thought’ of breaking NBA’s all-time record

LeBron James said he “never even thought” of breaking the NBA’s all-time record just a week before he made history by doing just that on Tuesday night.

In an interview for ABC’s “Good Morning America” ​​on Jan. 31, James said becoming the league’s new career leading scorer hadn’t been one of his goals, unlike other titles. as “Player of the Year”.

“I’ve never been like I want to beat the all-time score,” the Los Angeles Lakers star told Michael Strahan before a game between the Lakers and New York Knicks. “I never even thought about it and the fact that I’m literally here is mind blowing.”

James became the league’s top scorer in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder by scoring his 38,388th point, surpassing the previous record held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The record-breaking shot put the game on a 10-minute break for a ceremony honoring James.

At the end of Tuesday’s game, James took his total score to 38,390.

“Tonight I really felt like I was sitting on top of the arena tonight when that shot came in and the crowd roared,” he told reporters after the game. “I don’t know if I would be able to experience that feeling again, unless it was like a winner in the final.”

The four-time MVP told Strahan in January that the scoring record itself wouldn’t necessarily mean he’s the greatest basketball player of all time, even though he’s worked hard to get there.

“I’ve always been proud to say, ‘I want to be the greatest to play this game,’ and that comes from a motivation for me, my desire to be the greatest of all time,” said James.

On when he might consider retiring, the 38-year-old said: “I have a little time left.”