LeBron James' 20th season stats vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 20th season stats in the NBA: Head-to-head comparison of 2 legends

LeBron James could break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record in his next game. He is 36 points shy of becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer. The LA Lakers will take on the OKC Thunder at home next on Tuesday (February 7th), which could be the game where James becomes passes Kareem.

The four-time NBA MVP started the season averaging 24.5 points on 45.8% field goal shooting. Both these statistics were his worst since his rookie year. However, James picked up his scoring and efficiency after that stretch.

Since November 30th, he has averaged 32.0 points per game, shooting 52.5% from the field. James' scoring burst helped him inch closer to breaking the record faster than expected after an underwhelming start to his 20th season.

Comparing LeBron James' 20th season stats vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 20th season stats in the NBA

Becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer wouldn't have been possible for any player without playing 20 years in the league until now, let alone LeBron James. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for 20 years himself, contributing to him owning the record for 38 years.

Abdul-Jabbar was able to play at a high level for most of his career. However, his production and minutes were reduced as he grew older. In his 20th and final season in the league, then-41-year-old Kareem averaged career lows in every major statistical category.

He tallied 10.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks, shooting 47.5% from the field. He played 22.9 minutes on average. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar still managed to add to his points total. He missed only eight games that season. He had 748 points that season.

On the other hand, his imminent successor as the NBA's all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, hasn't slowed down much in his 20th season. James is three years younger than Kareem was in year 20 and has played 3,738 minutes less than the latter.

LeBron is averaging 30.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists per contest, shooting 50.5% from the floor. His points and rebounds per game tally are tied for the third-highest mark in his career. James' points total is at 1290 for the season already. He has played 43 of 53 games and is likely to add to that total as the season progresses.

LeBron James' points per game average haven't dropped below 25.0 points since his sophomore year in the NBA, which has helped him come within breathing distance of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record.