LOS ANGELES (AFP) – LeBron James passed Kobe Bryant in the all-time scoring list with a 29-point performance on Saturday, but his Los Angeles Lakers suffered a one-sided loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, 108-91.
James, who was named to his 16th straight All-Star game this week, etched his name in the record books by becoming the third leading scorer in NBA history.
With the Lakers trailing the host Philadelphia 76ers, 74-52, with 7 1/2 minutes left in the third period, James received a pass from Anthony Davis at the three-point line and drove across the lane, splitting two defenders for a layup and the historic points.
At the next timeout he received a standing ovation from the crowd of 21,109 at the Wells Fargo Center arena.
The basket put James at 33,644 career points, one more than former Lakers great Bryant’s 33,643.
Longtime Utah Jazz star forward Karl Malone is next for James to pass with 36,928 points. Center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the league’s all-time scoring leader with 38,387 points.
After the game, James talked about meeting Bryant as a teenager and getting a pair of shoes from his hero. They cramped his feet but he wasn’t going to take them off.
“I wore them that night. I was a 15 and he was a size 14. I wore them anyways,’’ James said.
“He was immortal offensively because of his skillset,’’ James said. ‘‘The story is too much. Now I am here in a Lakers uniform in Philadelphia where he is from.
“The universe just puts things in your life. When you live the right way, things happen organically. It is not suppose to make sense but it just happens.’’