Charles Barkley Says Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's Greatness Should Be Appreciated As LeBron James Is About To Break His Scoring Record

LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are two players whose names will be linked together for years to come. Kareem set the record for the most points scored in the regular season by an individual, and the record stood the test of time for 3 decades. Another GOAT candidate, LeBron James, is now less than 100 points away from crossing Abdul-Jabbar though. And this moment will be quite historic. 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar himself has spoken about what it will be like when LeBron James does cross him. Even LeBron himself is aware that it's just a matter of time. Adam Silver has spoken about how there will be a big celebration when James does make it happen, but while celebrating him, there are some that don't want what Kareem also achieved to be overshadowed. 

Charles Barkley Gave Kareem Abdul-Jabbar A Shoutout While Also Giving Huge Praise To LeBron James

Charles Barkley may not have been the scorer that Kareem or LeBron have been, but he was a superstar in his time. He knows just how hard it is to even approach these records, and the fact that LeBron James is going to surpass them with ease is a testament to his greatness. But speaking to Bill Walton, Barkley wanted to ensure that the flowers for LeBron don't mean that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record is suddenly not taken very seriously. 

"LeBron is getting ready to become the all-time leading scorer," Barkley said. "Let's take a minute to talk about how great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was. I know LeBron's gonna break the record in the next two to three weeks, but let's give a shoutout to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for having that record for so long. Having to go to college for four years and having that record."

And that's not all Barkley had to say. Lest some think he is trying to take away LeBron James' spotlight at the moment, he was sure to praise the King as well. 

"LeBron, for as great as he is, he did have a four-year headstart on Kareem. Shoutout to the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. … I did a video last week for LeBron. He's amazing, one of the greatest players ever. He's one of the greatest men ever. Shoutout to Kareem and LeBron."

The record might have been massively bigger if Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hadn't spent 4 years at college before joining the pros. But the fact remains that while it was still unassailable, it will now be broken soon. It's nothing LeBron James doesn't deserve, he has been a superstar for 2 decades now, an absurd amount of time to stay at the top.