How Kareem Abdul-Jabbar really feels about LeBron James breaking his NBA scoring record

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shared his thoughts Wednesday on LeBron James breaking his iconic NBA regular season scoring record, penning an honest and at times emotional essay on his Substack.

Abdul-Jabbar's article was published just hours after James became the new all-time regular reason scoring leader on Tuesday night, late in the third quarter of the Lakers' home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, when he surpassed Abdul-Jabbar's 38,387-point mark. Abdul-Jabbar's record had stood for more than 38 years. 

"It takes unbelievable drive, dedication, and talent to survive in the NBA long enough to rack up that number of points when the average NBA career lasts only 4.5 years," wrote the 75-year-old Abdul-Jabbar, praising James' grit, and saying he is "thrilled" for the new-record holder.