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FILE – LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first half at the Moda Center on January 22, 2023 in Portland, Oregon. Steph Chambers/Getty Images/AFP
LOS ANGELES — LeBron James may be on the verge of breaking one of his favorite sports records, but his teammates say his focus is helping the Lakers climb the standings and not the 36 points needed to become the NBA’s best player. leading scorer.
The mood was relaxed as practice wrapped up on a sun-drenched Southern California day, but the many reporters on hand made it clear that the excitement of seeing James surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s tally of 38,387 points was palpable.
“It’s exciting,” Lakers guard Austin Reaves said.
“You won’t see this for a while. Who can play for a long time and be as productive as he was from day one.
“Everybody likes him, but we’re still trying to win games and hopefully we can do it on the same night he breaks the record.”
The Lakers are 25-29 and 13th in the Western Conference standings but just four games out of the fourth seed.
James, who is averaging 30 points per game in his 20th straight season, will get his first chance at the historic feat on Tuesday when the Lakers host the Oklahoma City Thunder.
If he comes up short, he will have another chance to reach the mountain in front of the Milwaukee Bucks.
“At the end of the day, he’s not going to change the way he plays, he just wants to win,” Reaves said. “So if it happens tomorrow or if it happens in the next game, as long as we win, I think that’s the main thing he’s worried about.”
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said James, who declined to speak to reporters Monday, has shrugged off the distraction.
“He knows, obviously, but he hasn’t been caught,” he said. “The biggest thing is winning games.”
Ham said he expects the atmosphere at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night to be “electric.”
“Everyone will be on the edge of their seats.” said. “It’s good for the Lakers, good for the NBA and a great achievement for LeBron, who has done it while playing the right way.”
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