LeBron James on Passing Michael Jordan on NBA's All-Time Scoring List: 'MJ Was That Guy For Me'
LeBron James paid homage to Michael Jordan after passing him on the NBA's all-time scoring list during the Lakers' 115–99 loss to the Nuggets on Wednesday night.
James, who wrote "Thank You MJ 23" on his sneakers for Wednesday's game, tweeted prior to the contest how special the moment would be to him. He grew emotional when he scored a layup which moved him ahead of Jordan and into fourth all-time in career points.
Following the game, James explained how Jordan served as a role model throughout his life.
"A lot of stuff that I’ve done in my career, this is right up there at the top," James told reporters. "Winning a championship, just I mean, for a kid from Akron, Ohio, that needed inspiration, needed some type of positive influence, MJ was that guy for me.
"I watched him from afar wanting to be like MJ, wanting to shoot fadeaways like MJ, wanting to stick my tongue out on dunks like MJ, wanting to wear my sneakers like MJ. I wanted kids to look up at some point to me like MJ. It’s crazy. To be honest, it’s beyond crazy."
James now trails only Kobe Bryant (33,643), Karl Malone (36,928) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) on the league's all-time scoring list.
