In a mostly quiet locker room after a 29-point loss in Phoenix on March 13, LeBron James sat alone at his locker and carefully inscribed the game ball, smiling as he softly blew on the ink to make sure the valued piece of personal memorabilia was protected.
It was a symbolic visual of this powerful yet awkward season for the Los Angeles Lakers star. And perhaps a preview of what might be to come as he runs down one of the greatest individual records in American sports under cloudy skies.
The milestone that evening in Arizona was becoming the first player in NBA history to eclipse 10,000 points, rebounds and assists. The autographed ball is likely headed to a just-announced James museum that is being constructed in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. For a player who takes pride in his all-around game, it was a cherished moment.
"The dreams I had of being in this league and playing at the highest level and to now sit alone in a statistical category in this league -- I model my game after being able to score, rebound and assist," James said. "And to sit alone in a stat, I'll say cool, but it doesn't quite make sense to me."
But it came in a dud loss in a dud season with Lakers fans having some mixed feelings about James, who delivered a championship in 2020 but has frustrated them since with his leadership style. The Lakers recognized the achievement at home the next night, just as the team was falling behind 26-6 in the first quarter against the Toronto Raptors.
The latest moment to honor James came Saturday night against the Washington Wizards as he passed Karl Malone with his 36,939th point, becoming the No. 2 all-time scorer in league history. Assuming good health, James should pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) for the grand honor midway through next season to take down the biggest individual career record in the sport. He's on pace to do so in roughly 150 fewer games.