As LeBron James geared up to face his career rivals, the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday (Jan. 23) The King took time away from his pre-game preparations to congratulate his younger self for the major milestone he would pass. And with a jumper late in the first quarter, James gathered his eighth point, giving him more than 30,000 career points.
James is only the seventh player to achieve this accomplishment, putting him in the club with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberland, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Dirk Nowitzki. Yet, at 33, not only is James the youngest player to get to 30k, he’s also the only player to ever accumulate more than 30,000 points, 7,000 rebounds, and 7,000 assists.
This led to a litany of people to follow King James’ Instagram post and congratulate the future Hall of Famer on his monumental career stat line. Everyone from fellow 30k club members, Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki, to Arnold Schwarzenegger took to Twitter to praise The King’s crowning achievement.
From #Akron to #30k @KingJames well done my brotha
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 24, 2018
Congrats @KingJames. Welcome to the club!!!
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) January 24, 2018
Congratulations on this great milestone, my friend! I am so proud of you @KingJames. https://t.co/Jnz5kDuNnO
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) January 24, 2018
Yet it was the salute from his hero turned homie, JAY-Z, that gained the most hype. Similar to the surprise video Hov received from Barack Obama during his induction into the Song Writers Hall of Fame, The Jigga Man delivered a visual to Fox Sports Ohio detailing LeBron’s accomplishments on and off the court.
“You inspire us, you inspire us all,” JAY-Z explained. “All the work you do, coming from the neighborhoods we come from. You’re the most unselfish King in the world.”
This type of admiration coming from a figure that James famously idolizes speaks to how intricate he is to not only hip-hop – as his access to pre-released tracks makes him literally the biggest A & R in the world – but to all of culture. With his more than 7,000 in-game assists, none have been more helpful than James’ storied philanthropy. His known kind nature and humbleness only add to his athletic prowess, effectively solidifying James’ bust on NBA’s convened “Mount Rushmore.”