On April 5, 1984, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored his 31,420th point in the NBA, which broke the league’s all-time scoring record previously held by Wilt Chamberlain. For decades, that record felt unbreakable, but in recent years, it became clear that LeBron James would likely eclipse the mark one day. Well, that day was yesterday (February 7): In the Los Angeles Lakers’ losing effort against the Oklahoma City Thunder, James made the record-breaking shot near the end of the third quarter and put himself atop the all-time list.
Now, the NBA icon has received congratulatory message from music stars like Drake, Rihanna, Snoop Dogg, and Kendrick Lamar.
Various celebrities recorded videos congratulating James on his historic achievement, with Snoop saying in his, “In the words of the great Snoop Dogg: ‘La-da-da-da-da!’ It’s the one and only LBJ: LeBron James! Great work, baby. Appreciate the love. Love what you do, keep doing what you’re doing, more buckets, more points, more love.”
Drake said in his clip, seemingly filmed at James’ high school gym, “LeBron: what a legendary night in NBA history. You’re breaking the all-time scoring record, and to honor that, I had to come back to the place that it all started: Akron, Ohio. Every journey has its beginning and tonight…” As he spoke, though, the illusion was broken thanks to a green screen malfunction, revealing a club environment behind him. He continued, “I lied, I lied to you. I’m actually still at the club in Miami, but definitely all the girls say congrats, though, right girls? Congrats, right?”
In a more straightforward video, Lamar said, “To see you with this type of accomplishment, it always give a confirmation of, you can be great no matter where you come from.”
In her tribute, Rihanna said, “It is important to recognize greatness and great accomplishments. […] If course, you’re no stranger to breaking records, but this record, this is one to be more than just acknowledged: this is one to be celebrated.”
Bad Bunny didn’t record a video, but he was there in person to give LeBron a hug after the record was broken.
LeBron saludando a su amigo Bad Bunny, que le dice “La Cabra! La Cabra!” pic.twitter.com/929hcHArga
— NLB (25-30) (@NBALAKERSBLOG) February 8, 2023
Meanwhile, on Twitter, John Legend wrote, “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!”
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
Check out the videos above and find some other tweets about James’ accomplishment below.
Congratulations King James !!!! Thank you for showing us all how to float all these years. @KingJames #float https://t.co/d6WXcHfiFV
— Janelle Monáe (@JanelleMonae) February 8, 2023
Congrats @KingJames LEGENDARY
— FUTURE/FREEBANDZ (@1future) February 8, 2023
— Bruno Mars (@BrunoMars) February 8, 2023