LeBron James is really good at getting buckets. The discourse that has followed him throughout his career about not being a scorer, not having a deep bag, etc. is weird considering he's put up more points than anyone else in NBA history. Another major milestone of that nature is about to be his, too.
Barring an absolute disaster of a performance against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night, James should be expected to pass fellow Los Angeles Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most field goals made in NBA history. LeBron is two away from tying the all-time great. One more on top of that and he will have sole possession of another milestone that will be tough to match for his successors.
So, what does this all mean for LeBron? The new NBA record will be another notch under the belt for the most unrivaled longevity the sport of basketball has ever seen.
LeBron breaking NBA field goal record will only strengthen his GOAT case
At this stage of his NBA career, James has already done more than enough for many to consider him the best player to ever pick up a basketball. Depending on what fans care most about when it comes to an all-time great career, LeBron is an easy pick with all the boxes ticked.
Simply put, James' best argument has always been how great he's been and just for how long. The duration of his position as the league's best player is rivaled by few, if any. However, it goes beyond that.
The time James has spent as a top-10 player in the NBA cannot be matched by anyone in league history. The time spent as an elite player overall is even more out of reach for everyone else.
That aspect really shines through when looking at some of these all-time marks he's setting. Adding the record for most field goals made is the latest example of that. James is also on track to break Robert Parish's record of most games played in the next few games, barring injury.
Put all of that together and if your criteria for the greatest of all time is who has been the best for the longest duration, the answer is easily LeBron. Add to that the fact of James having one of the most impressive peaks the league has ever seen too and the case could very well be shut.