LeBron James became the NBA's all-time leading scorer after his 38 points, for Los Angeles Lakers, in their 133-130 defeat by the Oklahoma City Thunder, passed fellow-Laker legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's long-standing record of 38,387, set in 1989.

Needing 36 points to break the record, James 38, broke the record with a fadeaway jumper at the end of the third quarter and he finished the match with a career total of 38,390. In front of a cheering crowd that included tennis legend John McEnroe, music stars Jay-Z, LL Cool J and Bad Bunny, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr and actor Denzel Washington, Abdul-Jabbar ceremoniously handed over the ball to James to recognise his new record.

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"To be able to be in the presence of a legend and great as Kareem, it means so much to me," LeBron said. "Everybody that has ever been a part of this run with me the last 20-plus years, I want to say thank you so much because I wouldn't be me without all you.

Four-time NBA and two-time Olympic champion is in his 20th season in the NBA, having been drafted first overall by hometown team the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. He joined the Miami Heat in 2010, winning two titles, before returning to lead Cleveland to the only NBA title in their history in 2016.

He has been with the Lakers since 2018 and helped them win the 2020 title, which was also the fourth time he has been named NBA finals MVP. James has won four regular season MVP titles and appeared in the NBA Finals 10 times.