LeBron James made a lot of headlines on Tuesday night after becoming just the seventh player in NBA history to reach 30,000 points in his career. The Cavs forward has now joined elite company with the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, and Dirk Nowitzki in the exclusive club.
A lot of players from past and present, as well as coaches, sent out their congratulatory messages for James, and now, one of the best coaches in league history has also given his kind words. No less than San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich shared, via Michael C. Wright of ESPN, before their game against the Cavs what the feat means to a player like James.
“Well, it’s an awesome achievement,” Popovich said. “But what else do you say about LeBron that we haven’t said many times before? Just a great, great competitor and a great player.” Can the Spurs hold him to 6 points (James needs 7 points to reach the milestone)? “While Kawhi’s [Leonard] out, Kyle’s [Anderson] got that job. So I gave him an over-under. If he holds him within standard deviation… so we’ve got the analytical guys trying to figure out what standard deviation is. So I think maybe if he scores less than 12, then Kyle keeps that position forever; like a Lou Gehrig thing.”
Popovich has had his fair share of memories going up against James, as they’ve met in the NBA Finals three times — 2007, 2013, and 2014. That said, the Spurs coach has a deeper understanding of the Cavs star’s greatness.
James may have had a huge reason to celebrate on the night, but the Cavs failed to make it a double celebration as they lost to the Spurs, 114-102. To James’ credit, he did have another strong game, finishing with 28 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
