All Hail the King...

Plus, Cam Thomas makes his own history

Author

Conor Geelan
February 08, 2023

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ALL HAIL THE KING! We witnessed greatness, history and goatliness last night as LeBron Raymone James became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Let’s Enjoy it together now.

LeBron James with 10.9 seconds left in the 3rd quarter

Today’s Lineup

All Hail the King 👑: LeBron James becomes the leading scorer of all time

Tho-madness 🧠: Cam Thomas is doing his best Linsanity impression

At the helm 🏆: We predict the Coach of the Year

Of the top-25 all-time scorers, only 4 have played under 40,000 minutes. But who has the most points?

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PrizePicks

If you don’t know what PrizePicks is yet…c’mon. It’s our go-to for fantasy sports predictions to spice up the action. Here's what you do: pick your players (anywhere between two and six), decide whether they're going to record MORE or LESS in a specific statistical category, submit your selections, and you're locked in!

These were our picks from yesterday (it’s legit, check the timestamp👀) and we aced it! Two of the best three-and-D guys in the league right now clutched up!

Hit us up on Twitter and share your picks with us! Let's win together. Go download PrizePicks NOW and use our code ENJOY to have your deposit matched up to $100.

*PrizePicks entries must contain two or more projections. PrizePicks is available to residents 18 years and older in AK, AR, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, KS, KY, MI, MN, NE, NY, NM, NC, ND, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD, TX, UT, VT, VA, WI, WY. 19+ in AL. 21+ in AZ, MA.

All Hail the King

For those of us not alive in 1984, last night was one of the most historically important basketball feats we’ve ever seen and possibly will ever see in our lifetime. LeBron James—the kid from Akron, the Chosen One, the King—is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Even more insane? He’s still got a few more years left in the tank.

James hit a fading jumper over Kenrich Williams for his 36th point of the night and 38,388th point of his career and followed it up with an emotional speech. This is what Enjoy Basketball is all about. Cheers to The King.

Will LeBron's scoring record be broken in your lifetime?

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Last Night’s Action

Suns top Nets 116-112, but Cam Thomas makes history

Eleven years after Linsanity began, are we in the middle of Cam Thomadness? With a 43-point performance, Cam Thomas became the youngest player with three consecutive 40+ point outings! The previous record-holder? Allen Iverson. The Suns (30-26) still prevailed over the Nets (32-22) behind Deandre Ayton’s 35 points, but even so, Thomas’ streak is something to behold. They say success is when preparation meets opportunity! (Box Score)

Knicks squeeze past Magic 102-98

The Knicks (30-26) walked into Austin Rivers’ turf and scraped out a win, thanks to All-Star Julius Randle (22 points, 14 rebounds) and the elite clutch shot-making of Jalen Brunson. Markelle Fultz led Orlando (22-33) in scoring with 21 points including a torrential put-back slam. (Box Score)

Thunder prevail 133-130 during LeBron’s night

Despite LeBron making history, the OKC Thunder (26-28) walked away with the win over the Lakers (25-30)! Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was masterful with 30 points while rookie Jalen Williams continues to impress with 25 on the big stage. (Box Score)

Grizzlies beat Chicago 104-89

The Grizzlies (33-21) broke a close game wide open to conquer the Bulls (26-28) behind Ja Morant’s 34 points and some smothering team defense. Jaren Jackson Jr. defended his All-Star status from critics just like he defends everything else–he had five blocks tonight and has 22 in his last five games! Props to opposing big man Nikola Vucevic, who posted 28 points and 17 rebounds but came up short. (Box Score)

Nuggets massacre Minnesota 146-112

The Nuggets (38-17) stomped the Timberwolves (29-28) in the first quarter 49-19 on their way to a thirty-point win. Nikola Jokic had a triple-double at halftime, prompting Michael Malone to compare him with the newly crowned career scoring champ, and finished with 20 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds while Michael Porter Jr. added 30 points! (Box Score)

“LeBron did it with just so much athleticism and Nikola does it with much un-athleticism — but equally as effective.”

Nuggets Coach Michael Malone

Pelicans handle Hawks 116-107

Though the first half was close, the Pelicans (29-27) pulled away from the Hawks (27-28) for a comfortable win. Brandon Ingram served up a 30-piece McCrawfish to overcome Ice Trae Young’s best Steve Nash impression with 16 points and 16 assists. (Box Score)

Monday Night Notes

No Kyrie? No problem—Brooklyn has a spare. Cam Thomas scored 47 points against the Clippers on Monday after putting up 44 off the bench in the previous game. And at just 21 years old, he became the second-youngest player to score 40+ points in back-to-back games only behind this guy named LeBron James–ever heard of him?

Klay Thompson was in prime form with TWELVE three-pointers in a blowout win over the Thunder. And in Portland, the Bucks beat the Trail Blazers for their 8th straight win despite Damian Lillard making the most casually insane deep three of the season.

Award Watch

Welcome to a new segment: Award Watch! Every other Wednesday we’ll touch base on the race for one of the top awards. This week, we want to zoom in on Coach of the Year.

Right now, Kings coach Mike Brown (+225) and Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla (+240) lead Vegas’ predictions. Sacramento has overachieved in part due to Coach Brown’s offense, which is second in the league and features heavy dribble-handoffs and dynamic sets. Meanwhile, Coach Mazzulla has kept the Celtics ship not only afloat, but ruling the Eastern seas with the fourth defense in the league!

The Nuggets’ Michael Malone (+300) sits at third on our board, as his Denver squad sits atop the West with the best offense in the league. We also want to quickly shout out coach Will Hardy. Defying everyone’s expectations, he orchestrated a beautiful offense and gritty defense that had Utah in playoff position for a sizable portion of the year!

Frozen Moments

Good Reads

LeBron, Kareem, and the Secrets to Greatness - Mirin Fader (The Ringer)

What LeBron passing Kareem means to NBA, greatest debate - Tim Reynolds (AP News)

Sides extend early opt-out date for NBA CBA - Adrian Wojnarowski (ESPN)

What We’re Enjoying

We Enjoyed this wholesome exchange between Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal:

Plus, this refreshingly levelheaded take from JJ Redick on dumb LeBron James narratives:

Signing Off

Wow. We are so grateful to have witnessed history last night and even more grateful to have you guys to share it with. You’ll be able to tell your kids and grandkids where you were when LeBron James broke the all-time scoring record. Now go out and do your own form of greatness!

Trivia Answer: The answer is Kevin Durant! KD ranks 14th on the all-time scoring list with 26,684 career points, while Wilkins is #15, English is #21, and West is #23.

Before you go…

Which team should make a move before Thursday's trade deadline?

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In your best Mike Breen impression, what did you think of today's newsletter?

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