RJ shared high praises for his former teammate.
LeBron James scored 38,652 points to finish his 20th season in the league, and it’s safe to say that ‘The King’ is more than capable of significantly increasing his tally, given the fact that the 19-time All-Star averaged 28.9 points per game last season. For Richard Jefferson, James’ career scoring record will never be broken, and the LA Lakers star will most likely cap off his career with 45,000 career points.
On an episode of the ‘Road Trippin’ podcast, the 2016 NBA champion proclaimed that he is confident no player will ever surpass James’ scoring record in at least his lifetime. RJ even speculated that LeBron would only need to play 65 games on average over the course of four years, averaging 25 points, to achieve the 45,000-point milestone.
“I think he is going to play three (or) four years. What I am saying is that motherfu**er is going to score 45. LeBron James is going to score 45,000 points. Look, we are being generous on the early thinking. It might be not as pretty on the back end. So, we are saying 65 games, 25 points, we know it can be more,” Jefferson said. “So, yes, that record is never going to be broken. I’m sorry…. we can say in our lifetime we are not going to see it.”
LeBron’s GOAT candidature gets stronger with his scoring record
As one of only five players to appear in a 21st season of action, the four-time MVP is already on the path to re-writing the history books. LeBron is currently still able to add a championship to his already impressive resume, especially after looking at his numbers from last season.
James may not win as many titles or MVP trophies as Michael Jordan, but his dominance in scoring records and longevity may be the two largest aspects that fall in his favor during the GOAT debate.
The King is not just in better physical shape than Michael Jordan at the age of 38, but it is also not too difficult to imagine him continuing to play for another three or four years. Even if fans speculate that Jordan was a more prolific scorer than James, the all-time leading scorer has every right to be regarded as the best ‘bucket-getter’ in basketball history.
James has a short window to win another championship
James led the LA Lakers last season, as his squad demonstrated how they are capable of winning it all after amazingly flipping their 2022-23 campaign on its head in the second half of the campaign by making certain adjustments in their roster.
When there was a chance to fill the voids in the roster in the 2023 offseason, GM Rob Pelinka made some sneaky good moves by signing Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, and Jaxson Hayes while giving Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and D’Angelo Russell new contracts. At least on paper, this provides James the best chance of capturing his eagerly awaited fifth championship.
That being said, the Lakers have extended James’ contract by handing him a $97.1 million extension previously, which makes him locked with the Purple and Gold until the 2024-25 season. For the Lakers – it also indicates that their best chance of winning a championship will come in the next two years because they will have their two stars surrounded by a bunch of quality role players.
