Celtics

Celtics past and present congratulate LeBron James on scoring record

Current and former opponents of James gave him praise on social media after passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, scores to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey, center, and forward Kenrich Williams defend during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) AP

By Peyton Doyle

February 8, 2023

LeBron James scored 38 points Tuesday night to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA’s all-time career scoring record. James finished the night against the Thunder with 38,390 career points in the regular season, three more than the previous record holder, Abdul-Jabbar.

Many celebrities, fans, and fellow NBA players took to social media to congratulate James on the milestone.

Congrats @KingJames …legendary stuff right there 🫡 #38388
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) February 8, 2023

Congratulations @KingJames!!!! This man has been in the spotlight and burdened with the highest expectations since he was a teenager. And he’s done nothing but exceed those expectations and build a historic legacy. What an incredible accomplishment! https://t.co/ozsDBmQAPw
— John Legend (@johnlegend) February 8, 2023

Greatest of All Time 👑
💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) February 8, 2023

Unbelievable!! Congrats @KingJames
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) February 8, 2023

Among those giving their praise were current and former Celtics stars who have battled with James in the past.

Over his career, Paul Pierce faced off with James in five different playoff series and was eliminated by him three times. There are few players that Pierce battled against more in his NBA career, so it was only right that he gave his perspective on James.

Honor to say I had a chance to match up with The GaoT I’ve alway never acknowledged u as King but u Truly the King #lRespect no player in NBA History had the pressure coming in the league to exceed expectations not only have u live up to it but u have surpassed it #allhailtheKing
— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) February 8, 2023

Jaylen Brown is one of the current Celtics most familiar with the greatness of James. Brown was with Boston when James and Cleveland knocked the team out of the playoffs in back-to-back years in 2017 and 2018.

The playoff history with James didn’t prevent Brown from congratulating him on his accomplishment however.

The greatest !! congrats to @KingJames
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) February 8, 2023

Brown’s teammate Jayson Tatum didn’t tweet about James’s accomplishment at the end of the night but did make a prediction for the game once he saw the apparel that the Lakers’ star was sporting for the game.