Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is on the verge of becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
'King James' now needs just 36 points to pass fellow Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record 38,387 career points after contributing 27 points in the Lakers' 131-126 loss to the Pelicans.
James, 38, has shown no sign of slowing down in his 20th season, where he is averaging more than 30 points per game and made his 19th All-Star game.
How Close is He?
With a scoring average of 30 points per game, it would take James two more games to become the NBA's scoring leader. Assuming he does not miss any games in the interim, he would be on pace to break the record Thursday night at home against Milwaukee. The Lakers host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
Ticket prices for those games have predictably skyrocketed and Hollywood's biggest stars are expected to be seated courtside.
Fans everywhere are eagerly anticipating the milestone and the league has said that any game where he has a reasonable chance of breaking the record will be broadcast nationally.
Ranking Among the Greatest
Breaking the nearly four-decade-old record that Abdul-Jabbar seized from Wilt Chamberlain on April 5, 1984 will further cement the four-time champion James' case for being recognized as one of the greatest of all time.
The Akron, Ohio native had an immediate impact on the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers organization when he was selected first overall as a teenager amid a media frenzy in the 2003 NBA Draft.
Since then he has more than exceeded the high expectations put on his broad shoulders and steadily risen up the scoring list.
For two decades James has ruled the NBA, winning four titles with three different franchises, being selected to a record-tying 19 All-Star games last month and being a perennial MVP candidate.