LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 07: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ceremoniously hands LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers the ball after James passed Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Abdul-Jabbar’s career total of 38,387 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena on February 07, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
On Tuesday night, LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
The all-time great player would come out on the court and the two of them would embrace. However, it looked awkward for anybody that was watching closely, and there was a reason for that.
LeBron James previously stated he and Kareem Adbul-Jabbar have “no relationship.” Abdul-Jabbar has taken many shots at LeBron over the years but LeBron has never responded.
On Wednesday, Abdul-Jabbar addressed James’ comments, placing the blame on himself.
“LeBron said we don’t have a relationship. He’s right — and for that I blame myself,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote Wednesday in a Substack article. “Not for anything I did, but perhaps for not making more of an effort to reach out to him. By nature, I have never been a chummy, reaching-out kind of guy (as the media was always quick to point out). I’m quiet, shy, and am such a devoted homebody that you’d think I have agoraphobia.”
“I like to read, watch TV, and listen to jazz. That’s pretty much it. For the past 15 years my focus has been less on forming new relationships than on nurturing my old friendships with people like Magic, Michael Cooper, Jerry West, and so on.”
The 75-year-old pointed to the age gap between the two, saying he was already “pretty removed” from the NBA world when James came onto the scene.
“That disconnect is on me. I knew the pressures he was under, and maybe I could have helped ease them a bit,” Abdul-Jabbar continued. “But I saw that LeBron had a friend and mentor in Kobe Bryant, and I was just an empty jersey in the rafters. I couldn’t imagine why he’d want to hang with someone twice his age. How many do?”
Abdul-Jabbar was critical of James during the COVID-19 pandemic. He took issue with him sharing a meme on Instagram questioning the difference between COVID, the flu, and the common cold.
Things appear to be headed in the right direction now.
James became the all-time scoring leader late in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday, knocking down a fadeaway jumper for his 36th point of the night.
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