LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 25: Patty Mills #8 and Paul Millsap #31 of the Brooklyn Nets defend LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers as he drives to the basket in the first half of the game at Crypto.com Arena on December 25, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LeBron James keeps making NBA history and he just surpassed Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant to claim another record.
LeBron James has been around the NBA for quite some time now and, during his lengthy NBA career, James has had the opportunity to play in quite a few NBA games on Christmas. James currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers and he had the opportunity to pass up one of the greatest Lakers of all time to claim a record.
In what is his 16th Christmas game, James claimed the top spot as the NBA’s all-time Christmas Day scorer. In the process, he passed up Kobe Bryant, a legend for the Lakers.
Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James claims record previously held by Kobe Bryant
Bryant, who played in 16 Christmas games himself, previously held the record with 395 points across his career.
James was able to move ahead of Bryant on the list of all-time scorers on Christmas day thanks to an impressive display and a few free throws in the first quarter of the game. All he needed in today’s game to move past Bryant was 13 points and James was able to get that early on.
The Lakers are hosting the Brooklyn Nets as part of the NBA’s Christmas day slate. In the third quarter, the Lakers currently trail the Nets 87-78. James has 26 points, leading the Lakers scoring effort against Brooklyn.
Los Angeles has needed everything it could possibly get from James this season as the Lakers have struggled throughout the season so far. At 16-17 entering into the game against the Nets, the Lakers are barely holding the sixth seed in the Western Conference. If they want to make a run in the playoffs, James will likely have to continue his absurdly high level of play. Or Los Angeles could get him some help.