LeBron James passes Michael Jordan for 4th in career scoring

LeBron James moved past Michael Jordan into fourth place on the NBA's career scoring list Wednesday night.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar scored his 32,293rd point on a driving layup in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets, getting fouled in the act and hitting the ensuing free throw.

This achievement was particularly special to James, who grew up in Ohio idolizing Jordan. James tweeted his excitement about the milestone shortly before the game: "Can't even front. This is going to be UNREAL!! Wow man."

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, right, shoots as Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 6, 2019, in Los Angeles. The Nuggets won 115-99. [Photo: AP]

James began the night needing 13 points to reach the mark. He now trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points), Karl Malone (36,928) and Kobe Bryant (33,643).

Under direction from the NBA, the Lakers waited until the next timeout to honor James, who got a standing ovation from his new Los Angeles fans during a tribute video. James, still engrossed in the game, barely acknowledged the milestone after receiving hugs from several teammates.

James finished with 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, but powerful Denver beat the Lakers 115-99.

The 34-year-old James is among the last active players who were old enough to witness Jordan in his prime with the Chicago Bulls. James has said he grew up in Akron admiring Jordan as "the best ever" while he led Chicago to six championships in eight years during the 1990s.

"There are certain milestones that it's nice to take a moment and embrace and honor," Lakers coach Luke Walton said before the game. "Michael is a guy that guys like LeBron, myself included, grew up watching. That is THE guy, Michael Jordan. So to pass him in anything, especially scoring, would be something that we aren't going to see very often."

Jordan averaged 30.1 points in 1,072 games with Chicago and Washington. James, who entered the NBA at 18 years old compared to 21 for Jordan, began the night averaging 27.1 points in 1,189 games over 16 seasons with Cleveland, Miami and the Lakers.

But James has never been a score-first player, instead dominating the league and winning three titles with his mix of shooting, playmaking and brute physical brilliance. Just eight days ago, James moved into 10th place on the assists list, becoming the first player in league history to make the top 10 in points and assists.

James began the night averaging 27.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.0 assists while hitting 51 percent of his shots and playing 35.7 minutes per game for the Lakers.

Although James' numbers remain strong, his first year on the West Coast is shaping up as one of his worst in terms of team success. The Lakers (30-34) have faded ever since James was injured, going 10-20 and falling to the fringe of the playoff race even after his return.

James has played in the last eight consecutive NBA Finals, and he hasn't missed the playoffs since 2004-05, his second NBA season. After they began the night 5 ½ games out of a playoff spot, the 10th-place Lakers would need an incredible late-season run — and an extraordinary collapse by two teams in front of them — to avoid missing the playoffs for the franchise-record sixth consecutive season.