LeBron James on Saturday scored 25 points, passing Hakeem Olajuwon for 10th on the NBA all-time scoring list, as the Cleveland Cavaliers remained unbeaten by defeating Philadelphia 102-101.
James also added eight rebounds and 14 assists, the last on Channing Frye’s three-pointer to create the final margin with 65 seconds remaining.
The Philadelphia 76ers, winless at 0-5, turned the ball over three times in the final minute to ensure a victory by the Cavaliers, now 6-0.
Photo: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY
Kevin Love added 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, while Joel Embiid led the 76ers with 22 points.
Four-time NBA Most Valuable Player James scored on a fast-break layup with 6 minutes, 2 seconds remaining in the first quarter against the 76ers to move one point ahead of Olajuwon’s career total of 26,946 points.
“King” James took only 993 career games over 14 seasons to surpass Hakeem “The Dream,” who needed 1,238 games over 18 campaigns to achieve his total.
“It means I’ve played with a lot of great teammates that have allowed me and entrusted me to do what I do out on the floor. That’s the No. 1 thing,” James said. “Also, it’s a testament to me just taking care of my body and working on my craft throughout my career.”
“It’s always humbling when you’re able to put yourself in any category with the guys that laid the path for you and for the rest of us. So, it’s pretty cool,” he added.
James worked out with former Houston Rockets center Olajuwon in 2011.
“I knew he worked guys out that wanted to get better and I wanted to expand my game in the low post,” James said. “I felt like if I could do that then I could be more dynamic and make our team better.”
He won NBA crowns with Miami the next two seasons and took his third crown, and first with Cleveland, in June last year.
The next target on the NBA all-time scoring list is Elvin Hayes with 27,313 points.
Of the top 10, only James, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan were players that were not centers or power forwards with dominating inside games.
James wants the team to improve, even if they are unbeaten and off to their best start since opening 8-0 in 1976.
“We just need to get better,” James said.
Being unbeaten “means absolutely nothing. On the defensive end we need to be a whole lot better. We have not taken a step backward, but we’ve had a couple of lulls. We take care of that and we will continue to move forward,” he said. “It’s a great learning experience for us. It’s always great to have these kinds of games. I know we have room for improvement.”
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
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Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB