![]() But the new scoring leader made a point to downplay any past issues this week. Abdul-Jabbar has been a critic of some of James' positions, and James has made it clear they don't have a relationship. ![]() Much has been written and said about their differences off the court, in matters of social justice, activism and politics as well. The other is an athletic marvel whose genius changed the business of basketball nearly as much as he dominated the league. One was a slender giant who revolutionized the way the game was played at every level with possibly the most unstoppable shot ever. ![]() There are many differences between Abdul-Jabbar and James, both as men and as players. "My body is going to be OK, because if my mind is into it, I will make sure my body is taken care of and I'll continue to put the work in." That's up to my mind," James said in December, reflecting on his career. "I know as long as my mind stays in it, I can play at this level. This record is a James triumph in longevity of mind and body, something he has never lost sight of even as his career has gone on such an unprecedented ride. And maximize his chances at winning.Īll the points - the side-step 3-pointers, the dunks (more than 2,000 of them) and all those and-1s (more than 1,400 of them) - are an outgrowth of James' desire to make the most out of a career he has nurtured with great care. Maximize his ability to earn money for his family and raise it for charity. Maximize the athleticism he was born with. The mission James, 38, has been focused on - actually make that obsessed with - for two decades is to maximize. The volume of scoring, though, is really just a wonderful side effect of his journey. And of course, long enough that James has executed an iconic achievement by breaking one of sports' most hallowed records, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,390 points. Long enough to see the baby who was in the high chair at that first session reach the precipice of joining his father in the NBA. MORE: Every point LeBron has scored, in every jersey he's scored them in The night before nearly every game, at James' house before home games and in team hotels on the road. They've trained together hundreds of times since, from Cleveland to Miami back to Cleveland and then to Los Angeles. That training session was the beginning of a relationship that has helped James keep his body in remarkable condition for 20 seasons. Mancias, of course, did not mess James up. "But they all left, and when it was over I had dinner with Savannah, LeBron and Bronny in his high chair." They made it clear: 'Don't mess our guy up,'" Mancias told ESPN. "They all sort of stood around and watched me. The 15 or so people at the costume party, family and members of James' tight circle, were skeptical of Mancias - except for little Bronny James, having just turned 2, in a diaper. However, James, dressed as the caped crusader, had forgotten he was hosting a Halloween party. James had summoned Mancias to his mansion for an important reason. Stars pay tribute to LeBron James for securing NBA's all-time points record.Mancias took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. But this was their first private session. James liked the way he felt after their stretching and training sessions. Mancias had slowly earned James' trust over the previous two seasons as the team's assistant athletic trainer. It was the night before the season opener of James' fourth season in the NBA, but the first time he'd actually invited a member of the team's training staff, or any non-teammate, to his estate. The franchise had been blessed with a native son, who just happened to be one of the most talented basketball players of all time, and it was their job to help him make good on his destiny.Īs Mancias pulled through iron gates adorned with basketballs and into the large curving driveway that fronted one of the largest homes in the city, he was taken aback by a line of cars. It was the unofficial motto for everyone in Cleveland in those days. That order bounced around his head as he drove the 40 minutes from Cleveland down Interstate 77 toward LeBron James' house in Akron on a late October evening in 2006. MIKE MANCIAS HAD been given pointed instructions by his bosses with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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