LeBron James, after surpassing Michael Jordan in games with more than 30 points: "When you mention MJ, it's like doping for me"

Wearing number 23 on his jersey and sinking a fadeaway in the final quarter to reach the milestone, LeBron James paid tribute to Michael Jordan as he broke Jordan's record for the most games with 30 points in NBA history. This happened during the Los Angeles Lakers victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

“It’s very humbling,” James stated after the Lakers' 119-102 win, marking their eighth victory in the last 11 games. “Every time I’m linked with any of the greats and possibly the greatest of all time, it’s super cool. He’s someone I idolized as a kid, I wear 23 because of him. So knowing that I can be here, in the same conversation or whatever, when you talk about MJ, it’s super incredible for me, coming from where I come from.”

With an 18-foot shot with 5:58 remaining to complete his 30 points, James achieved this feat in a regular-season game for the 563rd time in his career, surpassing Jordan’s record set in 2003. Jordan reached this mark in 1,072 games over 15 seasons, while James surpassed it in his 1,523rd game after 22 seasons.

Anthony Davis, returning from an ankle injury and contributing with 18 points, 19 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks, joked about the time it took James to surpass Jordan. “It took him seven more seasons,” Davis commented with a smile directed at James. “But obviously, it's an impressive accomplishment. I think he's probably already number one in everything by now.”

James admired Jordan as he grew up in Akron, Ohio. When he surpassed Jordan for fourth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list in March 2019, the moment brought him to tears on the Lakers bench. He called Jordan “an inspiration” and “the lightning in a bottle for me, because I wanted to be like him.”

As James approached Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's historic scoring record two seasons ago, he joked about potentially trying to surpass it using Abdul-Jabbar’s iconic skyhook. However, the shot that secured the 30 points on Friday was a reverse fadeaway from the left wing, a trademark move of Jordan’s.

“He was more of a fadeaway with the left shoulder,” James remarked. “I tend to go to the opposite side. But they're two masters of their craft, working and working until it became unguardable. It’s just work. It’s dedication. I watched a lot of MJ and how he kept his balance even as he drifted away from the basket. So I just wanted to try and emulate that as my career has progressed.”

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, LeBron James, tras superar a Michael Jordan en partidos con más de 30 puntos: "Cuando mencionas a MJ es superdopaje para mí"