Los Angeles Lakers legend and the NBA’s all time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went on the “Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” earlier this week, where he reminded everyone watching that he still holds the top spot on the scoring list in hilarious fashion.
This came after Fallon asked the 6-time NBA champion how the game has changed since his time in the league in the 70s and 80s. Abdul-Jabbar responding saying how the game is much different from when he played, and voiced his disapproval of how basketball has changed.
“Not like that, there were good three point shooters, back then you might get ten three point shots in a game, now there are 10 three point shots in a quarter. It seems like today it’s a three-point shooting contest.”
Kareem scored 38,387 points over the course of his career with the Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks. He currently holds a 1,000 point cushion on the second all time leading scorer and fellow member of the Lakers organization LeBron James. James could overtake Abdul-Jabbar next season. In the 2021-2022 season, James finished with 1,695 points, so if he can replicate the success he found last season, King James can earn himself another crown.
Abdul-Jabbar has had one of the most decorated careers in sports history. Prior to joining the NBA, he won three NCAA titles with the University of California Los Angeles, and added two Player of the Year awards to his resume. He joined the NCAA Hall of Fame in 2007.
But his deeper impact came in the NBA. Along with his six championship rings, Abdul-Jabbar’s trophy case is filled with six NBA MVP Awards, the most by any single player, 11 All-Defensive team selections, 15 All-NBA team selections, and is currently ranked third on ESPN’s ranking of the 75 best NBA players of all time.