Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on his feelings about LeBron James, relationship with Magic Johnson / News - Basketnews.com

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who saw LeBron James pass him in the NBA all-time scoring list, opened up on how he feels losing the record to a player he's criticized in the past. He also clarified his relationship with his former Lakers teammate, Magic Johnson.

Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports Credit Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Last night,LeBron Jamessurpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the leading scorer in NBA history.

LeBron James

MIN:36.43PTS:30.18 (56.42%)REB:8.45As:7.02ST:0.98BL:0.57TO:3.14GM:44ProfileNBA2022/2023

On April 23, 1989, theLos Angeles Lakersdefeated the Seattle SuperSonics at home 121-117. That night, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played his last regular season game in the NBA. The center, who had turned 42 a few days ago, scored 10 points and thus reached 38,387 points in his career. At that time, most lovers of this game thought that this record would be very difficult to beat.

5,302 days on, LeBron James made his league debut. Over the ensuing 18 seasons, “The King” dominated the league in a way few have. In addition, he became the most complete player in the history of this sport, since he came to play in all five positions, being decisive in each one of them. He is the only man to be in the all-time Top 10 in both points and assists. In addition, he is ninth in steals and among the top 35 rebounders.

"LeBron's career is one of someone who planned to dominate this game," Abdul-Jabbar said in an interview with TNT after the game. "And it's gone for almost 20 years now You have to give him credit for just the way he played and for the way he's lasted and dominated. He has that indefinable essence that they call leadership."

In his latest blog entry, the second-most productive scorer in NBA history, repeated that it takes "unbelievable drive, dedication, and talent to survive in the NBA long enough to rack up that number of points when the average NBA career lasts only 4.5 years."

Referring to his reaction, Kareem described his feelings with a metaphor.

"It’s as if I won a billion dollars in a lottery and 39 years later someone won two billion dollars. How would I feel? Grateful that I won and happy that the next person also won. His winning in no way affects my winning."

Earvin Magic Johnson

Position:PGAge:63Height:206 cmWeight:100 kgBirth place:United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

He then went on to specify his relationship with Magic Johnson who recently stated on a podcast that Kareem will have a tough time accepting losing the record to LeBron and that his former teammate at the Lakers probably "thought he was going to have [the record] forever."

"I love Earvin and, after forty years of friendship, he knows me pretty well," Abdul-Jabbar wrote.

"But, in this case, he was very, very wrong. I don't blame him for thinking that I might be bothered because he knows how competitive I used to be. And, if someone had broken my record within ten years of me setting it, he would probably be right. I might have hobbled out of retirement just to add a few more points on my record," the retired legend admitted.

"But that ain't me today. I’m 75. The only time I ever think of the record is when someone brings it up. I retired from the NBA 34 years ago. For the past 20 years, I’ve occupied myself with social activism, my writing career, and my family. I fret much more over picking the right word in this sentence than in my record being broken," he pointed out.

"Here's the main reason I don’t care that much about my record being broken," Kareem carried on.

"I'm no longer focused on my basketball legacy as much as I am on my social legacy. I’m not trying to build a billion-dollar empire, I write articles in defense of democracy and advocating on behalf of the marginalized."

But maybe the most interesting part or the article is where Kareem is breaking down why he and LeBron James never had a (close) relationship.

It was a topic raised by LeBron himself, when the media asked him what his thoughts were about Kareem and what kind of relationship they had. His answer: "No thoughts, and no relationship."

Abdul-Jabbar quoted himself on saying LeBron deserved to be named Sportsperson of the Year in 2020 for embodying the ideals of sportsmanship: fair play, hard work and compassion. He also reminded everyone of the fact that he was in favor of LeBron being called the GOAT.

"Breaking a sports record is a celebration of the human drive to push past known limitations, to redefine what we are capable of. It is an acknowledgement that humans have the capacity to always be improving, physically and mentally," the inventor of the skyhook said some weeks ago.

What does Kareem think about James now?

"While it's true that I have taken a couple minor jabs at him over vaccine protocols, I know that LeBron is too accomplished, mature, and savvy to hold a grudge over something so petty. That's why I don’t want my fans to in any way tarnish or equivocate his enormous achievement.

This is all about LeBron doing something no one else has done, about scoring more points than anyone has been able to in 75 years. There are no "yeah, buts," just praise where it is rightfully and righteously due.

Bottom line about LeBron and me: LeBron makes me love the game again. And he makes me proud to be part of an ever-widening group of athletes who actively care about their community," Abdul-Jabbar concluded.

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