Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James passed Wilt Chamberlain for fifth place on the NBAâs all-time scoring list in Wednesday nightâs 126-117 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. In lieu of this outstanding achievement, Cavs center Tristan Thompson, who spent several seasons playing alongside the King, decided to send out a pair of congratulatory tweets.
Though theyâre no longer teammates, itâs clear that Thompson and James are still close friends. After all, they made four straight trips to the NBAâs biggest stage, winning Clevelandâs first in 2016. Bonds like that are not easily broken.
James led the Lakers in scoring on Wednesday night, racking up a season-high 44 points on 13-of-19 shooting from the field (5-of-6 from beyond the arc), 10 rebounds, nine assists, three blocks and one steal in 36 minutes of action.
James really had his shot going. In fact, he knocked down his first five attempts from downtown. The former No. 1 overall pick scored 28 points in the second half alone and moved past Chamberlainâs 31,419 point total on a three-point play with 3:55 to go. All in all, the Akron native finished the night with 31,425 points, falling just one assist shy of his 75th triple-double.
âAnytime my name is mentioned with some of the greats to play this game, I always think back to my hometown, where I come from, how far Iâve come,â James told ESPN after Wednesday nightâs game.
Thompson and the Cavs (2-12 and 5th in the Central Division standings) wonât be back in action until Monday night, when theyâll travel to Detroit for a match-up against the Pistons. Tip-off inside Little Caesars Arena is set for 7:00 p.m. EST with FOX Sports Ohio having live broadcast coverage.
