LeBron James is inching nearer to passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar because the NBA’s all-time scoring chief. He is 63 factors shy of breaking his report after scoring 26 factors within the Lakers’ 112-111 comeback win in opposition to the Pacers on Thursday evening. He owes the close to achievement to a close to legendary two-decade scoring stretch.
James was most likely by no means the most effective pure scorer within the league, enjoying in an period with Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady and others. His one scoring title speaks to that. But he is getting ready to making historical past resulting from constant greatness and longevity.
He’s been constantly the most effective scorers within the NBA for 2 straight a long time. It’s the longest scoring prime in NBA historical past, palms down. Michael Jordan’s 10 straight scoring titles when he performed full seasons is in its personal class. In phrases of longest prime stretches, it is LeBron.
His streak of double-digit scoring is a mirrored image of this consistency. He has scored 10-plus factors in 1,138 straight regular-season video games, 272 video games longer than the second-longest streak in NBA historical past (866 by Michael Jordan from 1986 to 2001). LeBron hasn’t scored in single digits in over 16 years (eight factors on January 5, 2007 at Bucks). It’s the most effective ironman streaks in sports activities historical past and a snapshot of LeBron’s scoring greatness.
The different is that this. He’s ranked high 20 within the NBA in scoring common (PPG) in all 20 seasons within the NBA, starting along with his rookie season when he ranked fifteenth, to this season as he ranks seventh.
The next-longest streak all-time belongs to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who ranked top-20 in 17 straight seasons earlier than rating forty third in his age-39 season in 1986-87 (17.5 PPG).
Kareem vs LeBron NBA PPG Ranks by Season Number
Rookie yr
2nd
fifteenth
Second season
1st
third
Third season
1st
third
Fourth season
2nd
fifth
Fifth season
third
1st
Sixth season
third
2nd
Seventh season
2nd
2nd
Eighth season
third
2nd
Ninth season
fifth
third
tenth season
eighth
4th
eleventh season
sixth
third
twelfth season
4th
4th
thirteenth season
sixth
fifth
14th season
seventeenth
eighth
fifteenth season
18th
third
sixteenth season
twentieth
fifth
seventeenth season
twelfth
14th
18th season
forty third
seventeenth
nineteenth season
sixty fourth
2nd
twentieth season
133rd
seventh
Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone ranked high 20 in 15 straight seasons, respectively. This may need been a distinct story if Kareem have been allowed to go from highschool to the NBA like LeBron, however that is a dialogue for one more day.
Most Consecutive Seasons Ranking Top 20 in PPG
LeBron James
20
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
17
Kobe Bryant
15
Karl Malone
15
Also, you is likely to be questioning what the qualifier is right here, as LeBron notably sat out the ultimate 5 video games of final season and didn’t qualify for a scoring title, when he may have received it for a second time. I merely used no qualifier and LeBron continues to be high 20 each season.
Now, it is debatable whether or not James continues to be in his general prime at age 38. But strictly from a statistical standpoint, he’s nonetheless in his scoring prime. Another top-20 PPG mark solidifies that to me.
He owes the unbelievable constantly to his skill to evolve, amongst different gorgeous attributes. In his rookie season the league common for 3-pointers made per sport was 5.2. That’s as much as 12.3 per sport in LeBron’s twentieth season. Points per sport has gone up from 93.4 to 114.2. No matter what’s modified although, LeBron’s scoring has stayed the identical.
It’s a standard thread he shares with among the different all-time leaders in sports activities. Some of the very best had lengthy “scoring primes” too.
But how do they stack as much as LeBron’s 20 straight seasons rating within the top-20 in scoring common. What are the longest “scoring primes” in sports activities historical past?
Keep in thoughts there is not any excellent method, and even apples-to-apples method, to do that throughout sports activities. But I took my shot at it for enjoyable, this is the outcomes:
MLB
I began in baseball as a result of it has the longest and richest historical past in North American sports activities, particularly in its appreciation for statistics. The most apples-to-apples comparability I could make for “scoring” in baseball is residence runs and hitting so I checked out residence runs, at-bats per residence run, hits and batting common to cowl all of the bases (pun supposed).
Ty Cobb (22 straight seasons in high 20 of batting common)
Cobb is MLB’s all-time chief in batting common and was the all-time hits king from 1923 to 1985. He ranked high 20 within the majors in batting common in 22 straight seasons the place he performed a minimum of half his staff video games. That definitely rivals LeBron when it comes to a “scoring prime”, however isn’t as spectacular given it was completed roughly a century in the past with a smaller league, and never in opposition to the most effective competitors.
Babe Ruth (17 straight seasons in high 20 of HR and at-bats per HR)
The Great Bambino was the MLB’s all-time residence run chief from 1921 to 1974. He retired with 714 residence runs after 1935, 336 greater than anybody else (Lou Gehrig: 378). The Sultan of Swat was forward of his time, blasting them out in contrast to some other in main league historical past. He did not have LeBron’s longevity although, largely as a result of he cut up time between hitting and pitching in his early years. Ruth owns the most effective marks all-time in baseball with 17 straight seasons rating high 20 within the majors in residence runs and at-bats per residence run from 1918-1934 (min. 50% of video games performed). Like Cobb, he did it with fewer groups within the league and in an period that was not built-in with baseball’s finest expertise.
Pete Rose (17 straight seasons in high 20 of hits)
Major league baseball’s all-time hits chief ranked high 20 within the majors in 17 straight seasons from 1965-1981, together with high 10 in 15 straight from ’65 to ’79. He notably dropped off in his age-41 season in 1982, failing to hit above .286 in his ultimate 5 seasons.
Honorable point out: Hank Aaron
Hammerin’ Hank adopted Ruth as the house run king from 1974 to 2007. He did so with out ever hitting 50 residence runs in a season, one of the crucial outstanding feats in sports activities. It was his unbelievable longevity and constant greatness, like LeBron’s scoring, that set him aside. He had 20 straight 20-homer campaigns from 1955-1974, the longest streak in MLB historical past. It’s an unbelievable feat, however it’s not fairly LeBron’s scoring relative to the remainder of the league. Aaron ranked high 30 in residence runs in 20 straight seasons, and high 20 in 9 straight seasons. Close, however no cigar.
Soccer
Soccer statistics will not be as traditionally accessible as different sports activities, so I am unable to say with absolute certainty that no one matches LeBron’s scoring prime right here. We do know Pele is among the most prolific scorers in soccer historical past and will have theoretically matched LeBron as he performed from 1957-1977.
Modern soccer statistics are extra available and a minimum of present conclusive outcomes that no participant on this period has reached LeBron ranges of scoring longevity.
Lionel Messi (16 straight seasons in high 20 of La Liga targets per sport)
Lionel Messi not too long ago received his first ever World Cup to boost one of many biggest legacies within the sport, and even has an opportunity at scoring 1,000 targets sometime. For now he is closing in on the 800-goal milestone, however his consistency hasn’t been sufficient to hold with LeBron. He ranked top-20 in targets per sport in 16 straight seasons with Barcelona in La Liga from the 2005-06 to 2020-21 seasons, earlier than falling exterior the highest 20 in his first season with Paris Saint-Germain in 2021-22.
Cristiano Ronaldo (16 straight seasons in high 20 in targets per sport)
Soccer’s all-time official targets chief matches Messi with 16 straight seasons rating top-20 in targets per sport. Ronaldo did it in 4 totally different stops from 2006-07 to 2021-22 with three totally different golf equipment (Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus). His streak appeared carried out with one purpose in 10 matches with Manchester United this season, however he has since had his contract terminated and signed with a Saudi Arabian membership.
NFL
Excluding kickers, the one NFL participant you’ll be able to argue had an extended scoring prime than LeBron James is the not too long ago retired Tom Brady, who was constantly one of many league’s finest QBs for over twenty years, after he grew to become a starter in 2001. He crushed Father Time with a Super Bowl MVP at age 43 and NFL-records for completions and go makes an attempt in a season at age 45 in 2022. However, his “scoring” streak was interrupted as he didn’t throw a landing go in 2008 after tearing his ACL within the season opener. If you have been prepared to let that slide, he’d be at 21 straight seasons within the top-20 in landing passes per sport.
Take that for what it is value. His prime rivals LeBron’s in my thoughts, however technically his streak was damaged, which is a part of the deal.
Here’s the streak that got here closest in NFL historical past:
Drew Brees (17 straight seasons in high 20 in Pass TD per sport)
Brees briefly held the NFL information for landing passes and passing yards so we should not be shocked to see his streak of 17 straight seasons rating top-20 in landing passes from 2004 till he retired in 2020.
If you are questioning the place Brett Favre is, he had a run of 16 straight seasons snapped in 2006, when he had 18 landing passes in 16 video games. No shock both that no operating again and vast receiver reached greater than 16 straight seasons given the shorter size of NFL careers, particularly at these positions. Jerry Rice would have come shut however he performed solely two video games in 1997.
NHL
I checked out targets per sport for the historical past of the NHL and located one streak particularly you will be desirous about:
Gordie Howe (21 straight seasons in high 20 of targets per sport)
“Mr. Hockey”, Gordie Howe, was the NHL’s all-time main purpose scorer for roughly three a long time earlier than Wayne Gretzky handed him. He famously competed for six totally different a long time at some skilled stage of hockey, and performed within the WHA (World Hockey Association) into his fifties. He overcame a cranium fracture (and quite a lot of different extreme accidents) in his profession to run off 21 straight seasons rating top-20 within the NHL in targets per sport. It was a streak that started in 1949-50 when the league had six groups, and continued till 1969-70 after they expanded to 12 franchises. Despite fewer groups, I feel this pretty ranks forward of LeBron’s streak given Howe’s fame as one of many biggest hockey gamers ever, and his historic longevity enjoying a violent sport.
Maurice Richard (17 straight seasons in high 20 of targets per sport)
Maurice “Rocket” Richard was the NHL’s all-time targets chief earlier than Howe got here alongside and ranked top-20 in 17 straight seasons in targets per sport.
If you are in search of Wayne Gretzky, he went 11 straight seasons rating top-20 in targets per sport. Even when contemplating factors per sport (targets plus assists) his longest streak was 15 straight seasons.
WNBA
The WNBA started in 1997, so there has not precisely been loads of time for gamers to build up a LeBron-like streak.
Diana Taurasi (14 straight seasons in top-20 in scoring common)
The closest is Diana Taurasi, the WNBA’s all-time scoring chief, who ranked top-20 within the league in scoring common for 14 straight seasons from 2004-2018, excluding the 2015 season when she solely performed abroad.
Honorable mentions in different sports activities
Those sports activities are the place the most effective comparisons cease, both resulting from lack of historic knowledge or comparable stats. I nonetheless want to provide some love to those different primes in sports activities you must find out about:
Serena Williams went 20 years between her first (1999) and most up-to-date (2019) grand slam title.Rafael Nadal owns the Open Era report for many consecutive years successful a minimum of one ATP singles title (19). There’s additionally a 17-year hole between his first (2005) and most up-to-date (2022) grand slam title. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer received a PGA TOUR occasion in a report 17 straight seasons. Nicklaus received a number of occasions in every of these years.Joe Louis was the world heavyweight champion in boxing from 1937 to 1949, the longest reign for any division in boxing historical past.
Conclusion
LeBron James would be the NBA’s all-time scoring champion in a matter of days, one of many crowning achievements in sports activities historical past, due to an unbelievable run of greatness and longevity. Fueled by 20 straight seasons rating top-20 within the NBA in scoring common, his scoring prime can also be one of many biggest in sports activities historical past.
Historically, Ty Cobb (22 straight seasons top-20 in batting common) and Gordie Howe (21 straight seasons top-20 in targets per sport) are the one two athletes to high LeBron, though each have been over a half century in the past with fewer groups of their sports activities. In the fashionable period of sports activities, King James stands alone, with an asterisk for Tom Brady, who missed virtually your entire 2008 season. Either method, hats off to LeBron. He’s definitely on a mount rushmore of the longest primes in sports activities historical past.
Longest ‘Scoring Primes’ by Sport
Ty Cobb
MLB
Batting common
22 straight seasons
Gordie Howe
NHL
Goals per sport
21 straight seasons
LeBron James
NBA
PPG
20 straight seasons (and counting)
Drew Brees
NFL
Pass TD per sport
17 straight seasons
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
NBA
PPG
17 straight seasons
Pete Rose
MLB
Hits
17 straight seasons
Tony Gwynn
MLB
Batting common
17 straight seasons
Babe Ruth
MLB
HR and AB per HR
17 straight seasons
Lionel Messi
Soccer
Goals per sport
16 straight seasons
Cristiano Ronaldo
Soccer
Goals per sport
16 straight seasons
