Kareem Abdul-Jabbar offers interesting message for LeBron James

Feb 16, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar speaks as Clyde Drexler looks during the 2014 NBA All-Game Legends Brunch at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The No. 1 scorer in NBA history is sending a message this week to the No. 2 scorer in NBA history.

LeBron James celebrated his 38th birthday on Friday in style, combusting for a season-high 47 points in a 130-121 win over the Hawks in Atlanta. The scoring explosion put James just 527 points behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the league’s all-time scoring record.

Abdul-Jabbar himself tweeted a message for James on Friday. “Happy birthday, LeBron,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote. “38 is the new 38,388.”

Happy birthday, LeBron. 38 is the new 38,388.

— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) December 31, 2022

The Basketball Hall of Famer Abdul-Jabbar remains the current NBA record holder with 38,387 career points. James sits at 37,860 and could foreseeably break Abdul-Jabbar’s record this season as long as he stays healthy.

The message from Abdul-Jabbar is noteworthy because he does not have the best dynamic with James. Even as recently as this year, Abdul-Jabbar, who continues to be an active commentator on social issues, has criticized James on everything from James’ supposedly wishy-washy stance on hot-button topics to James’ messaging about the COVID-19 pandemic. You can read more about their history here.

Perhaps jilted by those barbs, James was dismissive of a question about Abdul-Jabbar in October, bluntly saying that they have no relationship.

But Abdul-Jabbar has said in the past that he is rooting for James to break his scoring record. As this latest message also illustrates, it appears Abdul-Jabbar still has unequivocal respect for James as a great basketball player.