Sports

Photo shows fans at the game watching LeBron James break the NBA scoring record on their phones instead of watching him

LeBron James breaks NBA scoring record.
LeBron James breaks NBA scoring record. Photo by Getty Images
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LeBron James broke the NBA scoring record on Tuesday against Oklahoma City Thunder at the Crypto.com Arena.

Photographer Andrew D. Bernstein snapped an image that will likely become an iconic part of the event.

It shows James leap to take his shot with the ball destined to slip through a basket with "Built by Black History" on its base.

In the background, the Los Angeles crowd is standing to attention.

One clear detail from courtside is that many fans watched James' moment on their phones instead of being in the moment.

There is one notable exception: a man in the front row, sitting with his hands on his lap, watches the action in the traditional way — with his eyes. That was Nike CEO Phil Knight. 

See it here:

LeBron James breaks NBA scoring record.
LeBron James breaks NBA scoring record.  Photo by Getty Images

James crowned king of NBA scoring after record-breaking moment

The photo bears an uncanny similarity to one taken of Tiger Woods in 2019 when the legendary golfer was competing in the second round of the PGA Championship, showing how the modern sports fan consumes live sport.

The one taken of James, though, will likely live far longer due to the significance of the moment as it meant James became the king of NBA scoring, surpassing a record six-time NBA MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had held for 39 years.

Abdul-Jabbar scored 38,387 during a 20-year career with the Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks.

James, after his midweek heroics, has 38,390 points. The question now is how far he can extend that record in the months and years ahead.

"Tonight, I actually felt like I was sitting on top of the arena when that shot went in, and the roar from the crowd," said James, according to ESPN.

"I'm not sure if I would be able to feel that feeling again unless it's a game-winning Finals shot.

"Everything just stopped. It gave me an opportunity to embrace it and look around and seeing my family, the fans, my friends. It was pretty cool.

"I probably can count on my hands how many times I have cried in 20 years, either in happiness or in defeat. So that moment was one of them when I kind of teared up a little bit. It was 'I can't believe what's going on' tears."

One of those watching on their phones was James' son, Bronny

LeBron and Bronny James.
LeBron and Bronny James.  Photo by Getty Images

Funnily enough, one of the people watching via their phones when James made his immortal shot was his own son Bronny, an 18-year-old high school basketball player.

James watched his record-breaking shot from Bronny's phone and, according to ESPN, said: "Oh, that's tough." He added: "You got that saved? Send it to me."

James and the Lakers return to the court Wednesday for a Western Conference match against the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Alan Dawson is Insider's combat sports correspondent. He moved to Las Vegas indefinitely after being shortlisted twice for Sports Journalist of the Year in 2020. He has twice been credited by the Boxing Writer's Association of America, is a Hall of Fame voter, and an MMA Journalists Association member. He joined Insider in 2017 as a reporter, was promoted to senior reporter in 2019, and then again to a correspondent in 2020, after establishing Insider Inc. as one of the best independent publications to follow in the fight sports industries. He is read by millions of people around the world every month. He has investigated the intersection of organized crime and boxing, uncovered possible bribery in sport, and has been ringside for some of the most iconic moments in combat sports including Fury-Wilder 2, Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement, and Davis-Garcia. He has taken assignments in Europe, the Middle East, and across the U.S., and was one of the few credentialed reporters to cover the UFC during the pandemic era of sports when the company held MMA events behind-closed-doors in a bubble environment on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Dawson has been featured on Morning Kombat on Showtime, on BBC and GB News in the UK, and The Sun in Ireland. His work has been cited by CNN, The Telegraph, Forbes, USA Today, IB Times, Boxing Scene, World Boxing News, Sherdog, Bloody Elbow, The Sun, The Mirror, and Metro, as well as national media in Finland, Ukraine, Russia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam. Follow him on Twitter at @alandawsonsport.