Savannah James has been there to witness it all.
LeBron James’ wife was sitting courtside at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday when the 38-year-old Lakers star surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
Savannah — who has been by James’ side long before he signed his first NBA contract with the Cavaliers in 2003 — spoke about his professional journey in a heartfelt video, which also featured congratulatory messages from his whole family.
“Hi my love, I am here to congratulate you on becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer,” Savannah said in the video. “I am so proud of you. I witness day-in and day-out the hard work, the sacrifice, and the professionalism that you put into this game every single day.
“I know how hard you work. I know that this was not something that you set out to do, but you’ve done it and you should congratulate yourself, you should celebrate yourself. You deserve all the flowers, you deserve all the respect and I just want to tell you how proud of you I am. It couldn’t be happening to a better, more dedicated to the game person. Congratulations, again, I love you.”
The couple’s kids — Bronny James Jr., 18, Bryce Maximus, 15, and 8-year-old Zhuri Nova — were featured in the video and praised their father for his accomplishments on the court.
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James’ mother, Gloria, as well as his mother-in-law, Jennifer Brinson, also shared congratulatory messages.
James topped the NBA’s all-time scoring list on a fadeaway jumper with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter of what would be a 133-130 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Abdul-Jabbar sat courtside as James made history.
James, who entered the game with 38,352 points, needed 36 to pass Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387 career points — a record Abdul-Jabbar has held for more than 38 years. James finished the game with 38 points on 13-of-20 shooting, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
“I write ‘The Man In The Arena’ on my shoe every single night from Theodore Roosevelt,” James said. “Tonight, I actually felt like I was sitting on top of the arena when that shot went in, and the roar from the crowd. I’m not sure if I would be able to feel that feeling again, unless it’s a game-winning Finals shot.
“Everything just stopped. It gave me an opportunity to embrace it and look around and seeing my family, the fans, my friends. It was pretty cool. I probably can count on my hands how many times I have cried in 20 years, either in happiness or in defeat. So that moment was one of them when I kind of teared up a little bit. It was ‘I can’t believe what’s going on’ tears.”
Both past and present NBA stars praised James after the feat, including Lakers legend Magic Johnson and Warriors star Steph Curry.
Rap icon Jay-Z was also in the building to witness James’ historic moment, as was Nike founder Phil Knight. Elsewhere, music superstars such as Rihanna, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar congratulated James in a tribute video that also featured cameos by Shaquille O’Neal and Carmelo Anthony.
