With LeBron James set to break the NBA’s all-time scoring record, media personality Shannon Sharpe indicated that he’ll be in attendance for the Los Angeles Lakers’ home game on Feb. 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
During a discussion on “Undisputed” about James’ pending achievement, Sharpe noted that he’s hoping the Thunder game will be the one in which James breaks the iconic mark.
record pic.twitter.com/FDNKUvpWXd
— Ben Hustle (@BenHustle4) February 2, 2023
“I’m hoping it’s Tuesday ’cause I’m going to be in attendance,” Sharpe said.
James is currently just 89 points away from taking the all-time scoring record away from another Lakers legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The Lakers still have two road games before their matchup against the Thunder. On Thursday night, they’ll face the Indiana Pacers, followed by a Saturday night clash against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Despite just turning 38 in late December, James is showing no signs of the usual aging process that ultimately affects all athletes. He’s averaging 30.2 points per contest this season.
Based on that average, James would seemingly be on target to break the scoring record in next week’s game against the Thunder.
Unexpected factors like an injury could derail the hopes of James even reaching the record next week. Now in his fifth season with the Lakers, James has periodically been forced to sit out games due to injury.
The prospect of James sitting out a game might ordinarily come into play. However, given the timing involved, it seems highly unlikely that James would willingly sit out a game with the scoring record so close.
James has only been with the Lakers for a relatively short time compared to the amount of time players like Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West and the iconic Kobe Bryant spent with the Purple and Gold. Yet, he already etched his name into Lakers history by leading the team to an NBA title back in 2020.
Sharpe will likely be hoping to avoid experiencing the same type of incident that pitted him against multiple Memphis Grizzlies players and Ja Morant’s dad on Jan. 20.
