Wilt Chamberlain is perhaps the most dangerous pitcher in NBA history. He holds the NBA record for most points in one game (100), most points per game in one season (50.4) and most goals in one season (1,597), but because he played in an era without many of modern medical advances that make possible the kind of longevity that current players achieve, some of their career records are vulnerable.
LeBron James has already passed him on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, for example. He did this in November 2018, shortly after joining Chamberlain’s former team, the Los Angeles Lakers. On Thursday, he passed Chamberlain on another list of all time. With his third field goal against the Denver Nuggets, James reached 12,682 in his career. This gives it the third largest in NBA history. The move came at the beginning of the first quarter on a tray.
James still has a long way to go before reaching the two players who are ahead of him on the list, who are also the two greatest scorers of all time in the NBA. Both are ex-Lakers. Karl Malone is in second place with 13,528 goals scored, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the leader of all time with 15,837.
LeBron averages about 735 goals scored per season in his career. So, assuming he keeps the current pace, he would go through Malone at the end of next season, and then he would need another three seasons or more to catch Kareem. It should be noted, however, that the degree of difficulty in LeBron’s pitching is slightly higher, as he plays in an NBA dominated by three points. Abdul-Jabbar tried 18 throughout his career, while Chamberlain did not play in a league with a 3-point line. When LeBron finally passes Kareem, it will be much more impressive.