Whenever I lift a pen, I am always worried, because I know how difficult it is to put into words the multitude of thoughts and emotions without deviation. But I am even more uneasy about this article, because I don't want to write a single thing wrong. It matters to me, to basketball fans, or to the achievements of a great player (not me).
First, here's the thing: LeBron James surpassed my scoring record to become the NBA's all-time scoring leader. Given that the average NBA player's career is only 4.5 years, this achievement and the long career behind it undoubtedly require incredible determination, dedication and talent. You don't just have to put the ball into the basket. When most other players are halfway through, you have to still be fit, hone your skills and climb year after year towards the top where oxygen is thinner.
You can't be obsessed with scoring either. Otherwise, you'll become The Lord of the Rings Gollum, and records are treasures that devour your sanity. The real goal has to be to win games, win championships, because you want to make the fans happy – they're your food and clothing parents, cheering you on every night. They would rather see you win a championship trophy than set a new record.
You also have to make sure that your teammates can shine and chase their own greatness. If you use other players' careers as stepping stones for personal honour, the resulting record is worthless. Personally, I try to play at the highest level in order to be a good teammate. Scoring — and records — is nothing more than a byproduct of this basketball philosophy.
At this point, I think LeBron is the same as me.
Second, my reaction: When LeBron was a few months away from breaking my record, articles arose about how I would feel about the record-breaking goal. It just made me laugh. I've already expressed my feelings in words several times, so there's really no need to speculate. It's like I win a $1 billion lottery and another person wins a $2 billion lottery 39 years later. What would I think? I will be grateful for what I have received and will be happy for the second winner. But his winning will never affect the fact that I have won.
Third, the background to all of this: In Jurassic Park, Jeff Goldblum's character explains chaos theory—a theory that studies how small events trigger a chain reaction that creates big ones: "A butterfly flaps its wings in Beijing, and then the rain washes away the bright sunshine of New York's Central Park." ”
I think that's what happened a few months ago. The two NBA legends fluttered their wings, and various reactions swept the basketball world like a tsunami.
The first flutter came from LeBron James. When the record was in front of him, the media asked him what he thought of me and how our relationship went. He replied, "Nothing, and it doesn't matter (between us)." "Oops (table pain). I'll talk about that moment later.
The second flutter of rain came from my longtime friend and former teammate Erwin "Magic" Johnson. He said on a podcast: "If I have to say it, then I have to be honest. It's also true that he (Abdul-Jabbar) played for the Lakers... I think that would be a bitter medicine for him to swallow... I think he thought he could keep that record forever. Another "Oops".
1. Why magicians are wrong
I love Erwin, and our forty-year friendship has given him a good understanding of me. If he openly claimed that my height suddenly dropped to 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 meters), even I would be inclined to believe him. But this time, he was very, very wrong. I won't blame him. He felt I might struggle with the record because he knew how competitive I was before. If someone broke the record less than a decade after I set it, the magician might be right. I'm probably going to tremble and put it back on just to add a few more points to my previous record.
However, that is not who I am today. I'm 75 years old. I only think of that record when someone else mentions it to me. I've been retired from the NBA for 34 years. For the past 20 years, I have devoted myself to social activism and writing, and have been with my family – especially my three grandchildren. If I had to choose whether to keep the record for another hundred years or spend an afternoon with my grandchildren, I would immediately sit on the floor with the latter, piling up Lego bricks and eating Uncrustables sandwiches.
Sorry, Erwin. I love you, bro, but you really didn't say it right this time. I'm not a grumpy old man who won't stop kids from approaching my lawn. More worried about how to express the sentence I am writing than the record being broken.
2. Why am I thrilled by LeBron's record-breaking
When any sporting record is broken—including my own—we should celebrate it. That means someone has taken our imaginary human limits to another level. When one person climbs higher than the last, all of us develop a feeling that we can go further.
For me, the inspiring power of sport was best demonstrated in a scene from the 1985 film 27 Seconds to Win the Championship. Among them, the elderly hotel chef Elmo explained:
"One day, I was in this room, watching the Mexican channel. I didn't know anything about Pele and was just watching what this guy could do with the ball at his feet. ”
"The next thing I knew was he jumped up, hung the hook upside down and scored the ball – first up and then backward. That damn goalkeeper never knew what hit him. Bailey got excited. He ripped off his jersey and flicked it wildly overhead as he sped around the field. Everyone on the TV was shouting hoarsely in Spanish. And I was right here, sitting alone in my room, and I started crying. (There was a pause.) Yes, that's right, I cried. Because another man, someone who happens to be of the same race as me, can lift himself and a pathetic human being like us to a dreamlike place by scoring a goal, even if it may only last less than a minute... Let me tell you, kid—that's brilliant. ”
That's the beauty of sports. It allows us to witness seemingly impossible feats and reminds us that if there is one person who can do it, we are more or less part of that achievement. It's the kids who send them to the playground to replicate James' layups, Curry's three-pointers, or Mia Hamm's skills—the latter that has inspired an entire generation of girls to walk from the bleachers to the green. Millions of children around the world are spontaneously striving for excellence because when they see an athlete do something amazing, they want to do the same. At least try for it. This drive is also hidden behind many of humanity's greatest achievements.
It's all brilliant.
Here's why I don't care too much about my record being broken: I don't focus as much on basketball achievements as I do on my own social achievements. I'm not trying to build a billion-dollar business empire, I'm writing for the defense of democracy and marginalized groups (if I write a very, really great article, then maybe the billions will really roll in). I'm also busy with my own philanthropy, using the Skyhook Foundation to invite disadvantaged children to Los Angeles National Forest for a week of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. The above career and my family are the things I've poured all my energy into (did I mention that I'm also one of the 75 biggest stars!). ）。
3. Why LeBron and I don't have much friendship
LeBron said we had nothing to do with each other. He's right — and I blame myself for it. Not because of what I did, but because I didn't try harder to contact him. I'm not a particularly friendly person by nature and I'm not happy to take the initiative to make new friends (as the media always points out). I'm quiet, introverted, and love staying at home to the point where you might suspect I have a phobia of public places. I love reading, watching TV, and listening to jazz. That's pretty much me. Over the past 15 years, I've spent more time building old friendships, like with Magician, Michael Cooper, and Jerry West, than building new ones.
In my opinion, the main reason LeBron and I are not close (I have to repeat, it's entirely my fault) is the age difference between us. I set the scoring record in 1984 — the year LeBron was born. By the time he started making a league name, I had almost faded out of the NBA. Except for certain festivals, I, like any regular fan, would only wear sweatpants to watch games on TV and keep putting some junk food in my mouth.
The responsibility for this disengagement lies with me. I know the pressure LeBron is under, and maybe I could have helped him sort it out. But I also saw that Kobe Bryant was also a mentor and friend, and I was just an ethereal jersey hanging over Staples. It's hard for me to imagine why he would want to stay with someone twice his age. And how many people would do that?
4. Why LeBron broke the record makes me happy
I've written a lot of praise for LeBron. In 2020, I wrote for Sports Illustrated about why LeBron deserved to be named Athlete of the Year. I wrote: "One of the elements of being a hero is to feel humble and unworthy of this heavy word; They also have great power to accept the responsibility expected of all. Aren't heroes the ones who stand up for others? Who can embody the sportsmanship we hold dear: fair play, perseverance, compassion? From the time LeBron became the NBA pick in 2003 and was named Rookie of the Year, I've seen and understood him as much as these descriptions. ”
On whether LeBron is the best ever, I wrote, "One fact that helps LeBron become the best in history is that he's approaching my NBA all-time scoring record: 38,387 points. He was still 4,000 points short, but I retired at 42 and he is still an energetic 35. He averages about 2,000 points per season, so he could break my record in two years. How does this make me feel? I'm excited. I hope I'll be there to cheer him on – just as I know that if someone surpasses him someday, he'll be there. The breaking of sports records is a hymn to human energy that allows us to push the limits of what we knew in the past and redefine our abilities. It affirms to us that human beings, both physically and spiritually, will always be able to move forward. (Erwin, didn't you read that article?) ）
In the two years since I wrote that article, my liking for LeBron has grown. He focused more on social justice and did more to improve his community — and his athletic performance rose to another level.
While I did comment to him a few times on issues related to vaccine regulations — in my mind, it was like a player touching his teammate with his elbow — I knew that LeBron was a highly educated, sophisticated, reasonable man who wouldn't dwell on such a small thing. So I also hope that my fans will not denigrate LeBron's great achievement in any way and will not be vague when talking about it. The only thing that matters is that LeBron has done something like never before, outscoring any player in the NBA's 75-year history. There should be no "good, but" in this regard, but only fair praise.
One basic fact about LeBron and me: LeBron rekindled my love for the game of basketball. In addition, more and more athletes are actively caring about their communities, and I am a part of them; It was LeBron that made me proud of this behavior.
Original: Abdul-Jabbar
Compilation: Asteroid Fall